In a press release, the president of the Les Républicains party Eric Ciotti, who still clings to his post, is offended at being classified as “ the extreme right » by the Ministry of the Interior on the occasion of these anticipated legislative elections. The sixty candidates from the alliance he initiated with the National Rally will compete under the label “Union of the Far Right”. But according to what criteria?
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In France, as each election, the political nuance of each list or candidate is defined by the Ministry of the Interior. Official objective: to inform citizens in their electoral choices. Thus, the 4011 candidates who are running on June 30 and July 7 are classified according to 24 political families ranging from “the extreme left”, to the “extreme right” including “Together – Presidential Majority”, “regionalist” or even “sovereignist right”.
For this election, the interior ministry decided to classify the 62 candidates of the LR-RN alliance under the label “union of the extreme right”, while the LR “historical channel”, the vast majority of candidates who did not follow their boss are running under the label “Les Républicains”.
The RN dominant in this unprecedented alliance
The classification of this unprecedented union actually takes into account the strong dominance in the National Rally alliance, whose far-right positioning was recently confirmed by the Council of State. In 2023, the RN had in fact contested the classification decided for the senatorial elections. In his circular, Beauvau had placed the flame party in the far-right bloc, one of the six large blocs present at that time. On March 11, the Council of State confirmed this classification.
The NFP classified as a “union of the left”
Today, what plays a role in the classification of the ministry is also the division within the Republican Party. For the sake of readability, the nuance “LR” only applies to the 400 candidates from the anti-Ciotti fringe in the party.
Eric Ciotti denounces a “double standard” and “stigmatizing” terminology. Because on the other side of the political spectrum, the New Popular Front (NFP) is referred to as “union of the left” and not “extreme left”. However, this alliance brings together socialists, rebels but also some NPA (New Anti-Capitalist Party) candidates, who, when competing alone, are classified on the far left. A classification supposed to enlighten voters but which could well disorient them even more in the voting booth.
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