Ahead of elections, French Republicans consider creating a single list with Le Pen’s far-right

Brussels – After France’s Rassemblement National (RN) victory in the European elections, President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the Parliament and called for new elections on June 30 (first round) and July 7 (second round). In the history of France’s fifth republic, this is the call to the polls with the shortest notice, and it has caught both the state apparatus in charge of organizing the conduct of the vote and the parties seeking new alliances unprepared. If the left has signed an understanding to run together, the right is still trying to come to an agreement. The announcement made by Éric Ciotti, chairman of the Republican Party (LR), that he would seek an understanding with the Rassemblement National of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella caused a stir. This would be the first time that the party, son of the ideologies of President Charles De Gaulle, has entered the elections allied with the far right.

Ciotti’s gamble risks splitting the Republican Party

In an interview on TF1’s 13 Heures TV program, Éric Ciotti said he wants to find an agreement with right-wing forces to “stop left-wing extremism and Macron’s misrule.” The goal is to form an alliance which, despite differences, recognizes itself in the values of the right and can guarantee seats for the party. “We need an agreement with the Rassemblement National; I will ask for our deputies to be re-elected,” Ciotti said. “We have very similar positions on immigration with the other right-wing parties, so why should we keep fighting each other?” the LR’s president relaunched.

Ciotti’s statement sparked outrage from members of the Republican Party. Olivier Marleix, group leader in the National Assembly, accused Ciotti of speaking for himself and not for the party, calling for his immediate resignation. Valérie Pécresse, chairwoman of the Île-de-France region and presidential candidate for the Republicans in 2022, recoiled, arguing that: “Not everyone can be bought.” Ciotti’s decision risks splitting the party, which garnered about 7 per cent support in the European elections. However, the decision to open up to the far right finds support within the Republicans with Guilhem Carayon, a youth representative who called this choice “common sense”. Positive responses, on the other hand, came from RN with Marine Le Pen commenting on Ciotti’s decision as “Courageous and highlights his sense of responsibility.” At the same time, the Rassemblement National reported not being interested in an alliance with Reconquête, another far-right party led by Éric Zemmour.

Also, from Europe, there are stances against a possible coalition between Republicans and Rassemblement National. The former are part of the European People’s Party (EPP), while the latter are members of Identity and Democracy (ID), two political families with very distant ideals. The European Green Party/EFA, in a note, condemned the Republicans’ choice, also attacking Macron for “the irresponsibility of having created this situation by dissolving the National Assembly.” Despite the attacks, Ciotti is not giving up and is pulling straight ahead, announcing that he has no plans to resign as president.

Eric Ciotti commits only himself. He must leave the Presidency of the @lesRepublicains

– Olivier Marleix (@oliviermarleix) June 11, 2024

A New Front on the Left to Limit the Right

The resounding result of the far right in the European elections has frightened the left-wing parties. Already on the night of Sunday, June 9, many people gathered in the squares spontaneously to demonstrate against the rise of the Rassemblement National. Ahead of the elections for the French Parliament, the forces of the left have decided to run in a single list. Joining them will be the Ecologist Party, France Insoumise, the French Communist Party, the Socialist Party and Place Publique. The idea is to create a common bloc of the lefts along the lines of the Popular Front that, in 1936, enabled Léon Blum to halt the advance of the right-wingers.

Although the parties have already signed an agreement in principle, several points remain to be clarified. Raphael Glucksmann, newly elected to the European Parliament on the list of Place Publique and the Socialist Party, reminded that a common line of action must also be found on practical issues, not just ideological ones. For Glucksmann, some points, such as financial and military support for Ukraine, cannot be questioned. In addition, the figure of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Insoumise, is cumbersome but should not be, at least according to what the Socialists say, the candidate of the Left to head the government. That’s because France Insoumise took fewer votes, 9 per cent in the European elections versus 13 for the Socialists.

Tonight, we constitute a new popular front bringing together in a new form all the humanist, trade-union, associative and citizen forces of the left.

With joint candidacies in each constituency and a program of social and economic breakthroughs… pic.twitter.com/8nkXohTZpl

– Manon Aubry (@ManonAubryFr) June 10, 2024

How the French system works

The electoral system to elect the national assembly works with a majority system in two rounds. The territory is divided into 577 constituencies (equivalent to the number of seats in Parliament), and the list that gets the most votes after the second round elects its representative. During the first ballot, all parties participate, and only if one candidate gets more than 50 per cent is elected directly. In contrast, the two candidates with the most votes or all those who get at least 12.5 of the preferences of registered voters (so those who do not vote are also counted) enter the second round. Here, the one who gets a single extra vote is elected. This system favours political forces that aggregate a broad consensus among voters, even those not close to the party line. Therefore, having a single-list alliance among multiple parties can be an advantage.

The French system also allows the possibility of voting by proxy. If, for whatever reason, a citizen is unable to go to the polls, they may choose a person to whom they will delegate the task of voting. This person must go to the polling station of the person who has delegated them with the documents and cast their vote. Proxy, however, is possible only in the first round.