On Sunday the voters in France expressed the impressive turnout. About 59.71% of people cast their ballots by 5:00pm. This huge percentage marks the highest participation at this stage of a legislative race since 1981. It clearly highlights that people who are interested in choosing their leader also want the correct election results. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections three years early, which seems to have been a risky gamble. He called these elections after the poor result of the European Parliament vote last June. but this strategy of the President failed and outcomes are totally different as he expected. This situation highlights the unpredictability of political decisions and their potential to backfire.
Nowadays, France is strugglings with many problems. With 30,000 police officers deployed across the country. This deployment clearly highlights that there are serious concerns about political unrest. Voters are also very curious to know about the political results. Because these outcomes will change France’s political landscape.
In the village of Rosheim, near Strasbourg, 72-year-old Antoine Schrameck is worried that France might be on the brink of a major turning point in its history. He feels that the current situation in France could mark a significant shift. Also, in Tourcoing, near Lille, 66-year-old retiree Laurence Abbad showed fears. According to her, the result of elections could bring many problems. She also highlights that the tension is causing people to act irrationally.
Meanwhile, the president is meeting with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and leaders from his coalition at the Elysee Palace as voting continues. This highlights just how serious and stressful the situation is right now.
Russian Invasion
In the first round of the June 30 election. Marine Le Pen’s party, the National Rally (RN) performed well. And also it is likely to perform outstanding again in the runoff on Sunday. However, she failed to make Macron select her ally, Jordan Bardella, as prime minister right before the Paris Olympics.
If there is a hung parliament with many eurosceptics and anti-immigration members, it could hurt France’s influence in the world and weaken unity among Western countries against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. EU officials, who are already dealing with far-right parties in Italy and the Netherlands, are closely watching what happens in France.
On the day of the French vote, there was a serious warning issue from Pope Francis. He warned that democracy is struggling around the world and cautioned against harmful ideologies and populist leaders. Many members from center and left-wings make deals to vote for each other. This is because they want to prevent the RN( National Rally) from gaining much power. This is being seen as a comeback of the “Republican Front,” a tactic used in 2002 when Jean-Marie Le Pen ran against Jacques Chirac.
Polls now show that while the RN might become the biggest party, it will probably not get enough seats for an outright majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Macron made Attal as a temporary Prime Minister of France if he succeeded in making the strong team against National Rally. But this decision of Macron could also have stuck France politica for a longer time period.
According to Attal it is the big problem that having the extreme right in charge. Most of the French people did not understand Macron’s strategy and that is why he called the snap elections.
The purpose of Macron is to split the France political landscape into 3 groups. This action also clarified French politics. The 3 groups are: far right, center, and hard left. However the results of recent polls are surprising for everyone. RN could win between 170 and 210 seats, the New Popular Front (NFP) could get 145 to 185 seats, and Macron’s centrists might end up with 118 to 150 seats.
Even though Macron’s group is expected to come in third, the NFP is made up of different factions, from traditional Socialists to the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) led by Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Analysts at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) believe that France is about to undergo a major political change. They argue that even if Macron remains in power after the election, he’ll struggle with “legislative gridlocks” that will limit his effectiveness. This could diminish France’s influence in Europe and on the global stage.
