The first round of early parliamentary elections will be held in France on Sunday, the victory of which is predicted for the far right.
PARIS The 28-year-old chairman of the National Coalition may become the next prime minister of France Jordan Bardella.
The last opinion polls published on Friday predicted a parliamentary election victory for the far-right.
According to a survey by the research company Elabe, the National Alliance would get 36 percent, the New People’s Front formed by the left-wing parties 27.5 percent and the president Emmanuel Macron the party with its allies 20 percent of the votes.
Bardella has announced that he will only become prime minister if his party gets an absolute majority in parliament.
According to the forecasts, it is possible: according to the latest polls, the National Alliance and its allies would get 260–295 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament. An absolute majority requires at least 289 representatives.
In Paris, there is a vote against the far right
Actor friends sitting on a Parisian terrace say they will vote for the new left-wing coalition.
– We vote for them so that the extreme right won’t win. It’s the only chance Anissa Lamotre says.
In the capital, Paris, the support of the National Coalition is clearly lower than in the rest of the country, and the city has seen several anti-extreme right-wing demonstrations in recent weeks.
– The streets of Paris will definitely see big demonstrations if the National Coalition wins. Demonstrations are the only way to act if the extreme right comes to power, Léa Soukoute says.
Friends consider elections the most important thing for decades.
– The extreme right has never had such a real chance to rule France. It feels wild, says Lamotre.
The atmosphere in France is tense
French authorities are preparing for large demonstrations on Sunday, when the first round of elections will be held.
In France, the president has strong powers, but the prime minister mainly manages domestic politics. The end of Macron’s term is threatened by political paralysis.
– Sometimes I fear for my child. People are worried about inflation and crime, but I hope that we will be able to live together in the future, says Leiza Simedo.
Working as a small entrepreneur Pierre-Jean Labare hopes that the atmosphere in France will calm down.
– The extreme parties mainly try to point the finger at the culprits. I don’t think that’s the best way to go about it. Nothing in France will progress if the politicians are not able to cooperate, says a young Parisian man.
Marine Le Pen’s recent statements are stirring
In France, there has been an uproar over what is considered the true leader of the National Coalition Marine Le Pen from a recent statement regarding the powers of the president.
– The president’s position as commander-in-chief of the army is mostly an honorary title, because the prime minister takes care of the purse strings, Le Pen said in an interview with the local newspaper Le Télégramme.
The statement was interpreted as belittling the president’s role as foreign policy leader and indicating that the National Coalition would be ready to challenge Macron on these fronts as well.
The national coalition has been on different lines with President Macron, for example, on supporting Ukraine. Bardella opposes, for example, plans to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, and the party has also opposed the sanctions imposed on Russia.
After the European elections, President Emmanuel Macron decided to dissolve the parliament, as his party clearly lost the elections to the National Alliance. The solution has been criticized in France as hasty and risky.