Le Pen's far-right party determined to win majority in second round of French election

As France prepares for the second round of early legislative elections on July 7, far-right politician Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) has said that even if the election results do not give them an absolute majority, they will still try to form a majority government by attracting allies from the conservative Les Républicains party.

The announcement came after the RN defeated French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition in the first round of the two-round election on June 30. The RN is expected to continue its dominance in the second round.

“It’s not a change of direction because she’s still saying they won’t form a minority government,” said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group. “She’s saying that if her party can get very close to the threshold, they’ll try to bring in allies from the hard right of Les Républicains and then form a majority government.”

President Emmanuel Macron (left) and far-right politician Marine Le Pen. Photo: Indian Express

However, it remains unclear whether veteran politician Le Pen, 56, and Jordan Bardella, 28, head of the RN and its candidate for French prime minister, will succeed. Éric Ciotti, then head of Les Républicains, sparked outrage and was forced to leave the party last month after announcing a partnership with the RN.

In an effort to crush the far-right's dream of a 289-seat majority in the new French National Assembly, Mr Macron's centrist alliance is trying to lure some third-place candidates ahead of the decisive round of voting on July 7.

Meanwhile, the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) coalition said it would withdraw all its third-place candidates to focus on stemming the rise of the far right. So far, 202 candidates have dropped out of the race – 127 from left-wing parties and 75 from Mr Macron’s centrist camp.

If Ms Le Pen's RN party succeeds in gaining support from other parties after the second round of voting on July 7, this will further "normalize" the far-right in French politics and could usher in a far-right government in the new French Parliament.

Ms Le Pen has also made plans for the post-election period. Members of her National Front (RN) party, part of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament (EP), are scheduled to meet with EU allies on July 8 to discuss the future of the far right across Europe.

Many are weighing whether to join a new populist coalition announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban this week.

Minh Duc (According to GZero Media)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/dang-cuc-huu-cua-ba-le-pen-quyet-gianh-da-so-trong-vong-2-bau-cu-phap-a671276.html