Marine Le Pen's Far-Right National Rally Surges in Snap Election

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Published 2024-07-01
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France’s far right has won the first round of voting in a snap election, followed closely by the left, as President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition is trounced. We go to Paris for an update as the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen shocked the French establishment after winning the most votes in the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday. A broad alliance of left-wing parties calling itself the New Popular Front came second, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc fell to third place. Macron called the snap election after the National Rally won the most seats in last month’s vote for European Parliament, even though his own presidential term runs until 2027. A second round of voting on July 7 will decide the final makeup of the National Assembly, but if the National Rally wins outright, it will mark the first time the far right has governed in France since the Nazi occupation during World War II. “This decision was timed at a moment when the far right was at its strongest historical position in modern French political history, and they’ve capitalized on that,” says Harrison Stetler, an independent journalist and teacher based in Paris. He says that while the left has already committed to forming “a republican front against the far right,” Macron’s centrist forces have sent “mixed signals” on joining forces after a campaign in which they recklessly portrayed both the left and the right as equally dangerous to the country.


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All Comments (21)
  • @satnamo
    Fascism is an emerging zeitgeist because the whole world seems to have descended into fascism and nationalism 🇵🇸
  • Not far-right, just right. Who is doing all the rioting in France right now?
  • @flippy5555
    Not one French flag in those leftist rallies
  • If you are not in the financial market space right now, you are making a huge mistake. I understand that it could be due to ignorance, but if you want to make your money work for you... prevent inflation
  • @smithwez1101
    If the far right is there as they say, then there is a domestic issue requiring a balance to be restored and at times, over corrected but you can’t push the limit too far to the left and not expect the pendulum to swing hard the other direction.
  • @chadb4533
    Does this seem far right? It's from The National Rally's own Website in their list of 22 Measures for 2024. "Exempt all young workers up to the age of 30 from income tax so that they can stay in France and start their families here. Eliminate corporate tax for entrepreneurs under 30 for the first 5 years to prevent them from leaving for abroad."
  • @KithEsq
    they want you to just give your country away. Dont
  • Where is Le Pen "far right"? And if yes - exactly which positions are "wrong" and exactly why are they wrong?
  • @skepticRN
    I didn't hear anything that justifies the term "far" right. She is anti-immigrant on a continent that allows anyone from anywhere to come ashore on any country and stay in France. That is a policy disagreement on which reasonable people can hold a variety of opinions. It isn't open borders vs. the far right. There are lots of possible better immigration policies that normal people can hold. She is a bit like Reagan on fiscal policy according to the guest - Reagan was a big spending Republican in California and in Washington, but not far right at all. He made a couple of minor, mostly symbolic, spending cuts but spending increased every year he was in office. Honestly, who can believe them when they make these accusations of fascism and far right, then describe her policies as totally moderate?
  • I don't understand why there's a strict time limit on Democracy Now interviews... We need more time please.
  • @Pacmon0
    Note how he says France limiting immigration is xenophobic, when in fact the Muslim immgrants have not assimilated. They need time to assimilate into being French. Notice she keeps saying "far right." what is "far right" about controlling immigration ending Ukraine war, and using nitrogen fertilizer. Vive Les Deplorables.
  • @amills3271
    FRANCE 🇫🇷 FOR THE FRENCH!!! MULTICULTURALISM HAS FAILED!!!