Thumb up, Marine Le Pen she is the first to show herself to the cameras to announce the victory: “Democracy has spoken”, her National Rally (RN) has conquered the 29,2% of consensus in the first round of the elections in France; which means almost one Frenchman in three. Adding Eric Ciotti’s allies, who took 3.9%, the right arrives at 33,15%.
Due to the electoral system, the translation into seats in Parliament is complicated, but between the most unfavorable and the most generous polls the far right would be in a range just below the absolute majority, which stands at 289 out of 577 total. It is the declared objective of Le Pen’s dolphin, the designated head of government, Jordan Bardella: «The alternation is within reach, I will be the prime minister of all».
Be careful, however, at the same time the president Emmanuel Macron (which with his Ensemble loses the relative majority going down al 20% breaks the delay: “The time has come for a broad, clearly democratic and republican union for the second round.”
The leaders of the left-wing coalition New Popular Frontstrong of a good 28%they announce it in clearer words: “We will withdraw our candidacy in the constituencies where we are third” (Jean-Luc Mélenchon); “We will support the candidate capable of beating the RN: we have 7 days to avoid catastrophe” (Raphael Glucksmann). Demonstration in Place de la République in Paris.
Is it the embryo of a “cordon sanitaire”, a political expression that has so far indicated a barrier to the possible advance of the far right beyond the Alps? «It’s too early to say – he suggests Courier the famous political analyst Sylvie Kauffmann — the deliveries are not yet entirely clear.” And those among the Republicans who had not already reached an agreement with the RN in the wake of the contested president Eric Ciotti did not give precise indications on the use of their 6,6% of votes.
Here it is, the Hexagon in its extraordinary edition: in chaos. Never have elections been called with such short noticenot many voters have flocked to the polls for years: 66,7%. Voting was in single-member constituencies: the candidate who obtained more than 50% of the votes cast or collected 25% plus one of those entitled to vote passed. Those who did not make it immediately but are in the lead will compete on July 7 with the second-place candidate and with those who reached at least 12.5% of those registered to vote.
Analysts in panic over a forecast that promises to be more intricate than ever this time: while Macron opened up the anti-right cordon, his former prime minister Edouard Philippe once again invited «to desist to avoid the election of candidates from both the RN and the France Insoumise of Mélenchon»; but in turn the outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal he invoked: «Not even one vote for the far right and its disastrous project», leaving however the doubt that the abstention will be valid only in the constituencies in which there is no risk of winning an insoumis candidate too indigestible. Good courage to those who will have to deal with it.
