PARIS: Before midnight Friday, the political players in France were expected to make their last campaigns for the French legislative elections that could see far right take over government for the first time ever.
The election period will be officially over at Midnight and there will be a day off on Saturday where no political activities are allow ahead of voting Sunday. There will then be another week of campaigning leading up to the decisive second round on July 7.
The party of far-right National Rally (RN) is predicted to win the election which may result in it being given the position of prime minister for the first time in its history and leading to a tense “cohabitation” with centrist President Emmanuel Macron.
On Friday, Gabriel Attal, Macron’s Prime Minister told BFMTV broadcaster he wants to avoid extreme cases especially by far right emerging through ballot box.
According to Opinion polls, his centrist alliance would come third behind RN and New Popular Front (NFP), broad but fragile left-wing coalition.
If elected as prime minister, Jordan Bardella, who is only 28 years old would become party leader.
However, he maintained that he would only do it if his party managed to get an outright majority in National Assembly after second round vote out of 577 seats available.
If all these later unionize against RN during second round election however, this would leave RN without any chances of victoriously attaining its goals
Macron caused controversy two weeks ago when he equated leftists with far-right extremists whom he labeled as “extremes”.
Yesterday in Brussels though, Macron hinted that he would back moderate leftists over far right during second round balloting process
‘Serious message’ –
Moreover, she denounced “the arrogance” displayed by those on extremist end (far right) who have already assigned themselves posts before holding general elections; and quizzed him whether his presidential authority extends even into military affairs?
“Who are they to explain what the constitution should say?” She asked.
Le Pen has heightened tensions by suggesting that Macron’s chief military officer title is just “honorific”.
“When we are force to cohabit with an RN-led government, it is usually the Prime Minister who holds the purse strings,” she warned.
During a recent televised debate late Thursday, Attal said Le Pen’s comments were “a very serious message for the security of France.”
In response, Bardella told voters during a TV debate that his party would not allow Ukraine, an allied state, to be absorb by Russian imperialism.
He also expressed opposition against sending ballistic missiles capable of striking Russia from Ukraine as this would put France and French citizens at risk in a situation of being co-belligerents.
“My compass is the interest of France and the French,” added Bardella.
Macron has insisted he will never leave power until 2027 when his second term ends regardless of whichever political party wins majority seats in next week’s parliament elections
This time around though, after three prior attempts, Le Pen senses that she may finally have her best chance yet to become president of France.
‘Real fear’.
Macron had wanted to offer voters a choice between keeping France and giving it to the far right when he called for a snap election on June 9, following the trouncing of his party in the May European Parliament elections by RN.
According to a poll conduct by Opinionway last week that included 1058 respondents and was published in Les Echos, RN is expected to get 37%, NFP – 28% while Macron’s group will have only 20%.
Brice Teinturier, who is Ipsos’ deputy director and Teinturier revealed that it could not only be a relative majority but also an outright majority without putting any figures on it during the second round.
The confrontation among Attal, Bardella, and Faure was just as bitter as their first one last Tuesday.
Attal accused its list of having “racists, anti-Semites and homophobics” among them while there are hundred of RN’s candidates standing for election.
“Everything is false. Absolutely false”, replied Bardella who defended also the sensitive proposal of removing dual citizens from public service posts.
Victor Wembanyama, French basketball superstar belonging to ethnic minority said “for me it is important to take some distance from extremes which do not represent my country.”
