National Regrouping and its Allies Reach 33% of the Popular Votes
In the first round of the parliamentary elections in France, the far-right National Rally party (RN) and its allies managed to obtain 33% of the popular votes at the national level, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
For its part, the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) alliance came in second place with 28%, while the centrist Together coalition, led by President Emmanuel Macron, reached 20% of the votes, according to the same. fountain.
These results mark the first time that RN has managed to surpass 20% of the vote in a parliamentary election, putting the party in a position to form the first far-right government in the country.
Uncertainty in the Composition of Parliament
Despite these results, the exact composition of the 577-seat parliament and RN’s chances of winning power are not guaranteed. The formation of the government will depend on the political agreements that are reached in the coming days, before the second round of the elections.
Historically, the traditional parties of the right and left have reached agreements to withdraw their candidates in the second round, in order to avoid dividing the vote against RN. However, the effectiveness of this strategy, known as the ‘republican front’, is now less certain than ever.
Electoral Norms and Process
To obtain one of the 577 seats in the National Assembly in the first round, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the votes cast, which represents at least 25% of registered voters. In the event that no candidate reaches this percentage, the two with the highest scores, along with those who have obtained at least 12.5% of the total registered voters, will advance to a second round.
The two-round system favors the largest parties, since in the second round the candidate with the greatest number of votes is elected. However, this dynamic can also generate situations of disproportion and artificially favor certain parties.
Possibilities of National Regrouping
Regarding the possibilities of National Regrouping, senior figures in the four-party alliance of left-green NFP have assured that in districts where RN leads and an NFP candidate is in third place, the NFP candidate will withdraw.
Uncertainty persists as to the strategy that Macron’s coalition candidates will follow in a similar situation. Cooperation between parties and the willingness of voters to vote strategically will be decisive in the outcome of the parliamentary elections.
