By Armin Sijamić
On Sunday, the second round of parliamentary elections was held in France. Once again, almost everyone united against Marine Le Pen and her party, which takes on various forms in its attempts to come to power. However, this does not mean that President Emmanuel Macron has found an answer to the numerous problems.
France periodically raises an alarm that is heard throughout Europe – the far-right could take power. Since 2002, when Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine Le Pen's father, had the opportunity to win the elections, the French establishment has responded with unity, or what is called the "republican front." In short, in the second round of elections, everyone votes against the father or daughter Le Pen.
This repeated on Sunday, after the National Rally (RN) won in the first round. Fearing Le Pen coming to power, the French also supported the communists. Out of 577 seats in parliament, the left-wing New People's Front (NFP) won 182 seats, Macron's centrist Alliance for the Republic won 168, and the RN won 143. All far from the required 289 seats to form a government.
French Right Wing Ready for Anything
The RN received over ten million votes. Does France have that many people who identify with the radical right? Is this how Marine Le Pen envisions the republic she swears by? Is it possible that the outcome of the elections in one of the largest European powers in the last twenty years is determined by two fears? The first, fueled by Le Pen, is that current political, economic, social, and cultural trends will destroy France, and the second, promoted by Macron and his predecessors in the presidential office, is that Le Pen, if she comes to power, will destroy the republic. Thus, for over twenty years, French politics has been living in a kind of state of emergency.
To escape the trap she created along with power, Marine Le Pen has tried almost everything. For example, she expelled her father from the party, received support from Moscow, some European right-wingers, and American conservatives...
The case of the party's founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who, like most far-right figures of his era, was an anti-Semite, indicates the changes made by his daughter, renaming the National Front to the National Rally. The party is now led by the young Jordan Bardella, who entered into a romantic relationship with the founder's granddaughter and Marine Le Pen's niece. He is the descendant of a French father and a mother from Turin, who has Algerian origins. Bardella is now the "protector of culture" of the French state and advocates for limiting migration to those who do not wish to accept it.
Marine Le Pen was an anti-Semite and a supporter of Jewish culture, a critic of Muslim migrants, a Eurosceptic and a supporter of the European Union, a fan of Vladimir Putin despite his communist past, a protector of farmers and workers, an opponent of corporations and big capital, an advocate for an open market... Therefore, the National Rally plays on uniting the dissatisfied, and ten million votes show that there are many of them, meaning that problems have accumulated and that the former Rothschild banker Macron is heading in the opposite direction.
From the Center to the Left
What we witnessed on Sunday was repeated in, let's say, 2017. At that time, the centrist Macron, a proponent of the middle way, preserving the status quo, and a favorite of big capital, came to power in another gathering of the "republican front" so that Marine Le Pen would not come to power. The victim of those elections was the left, which supported the favorite of big capital so that the right-wing would not come to power.
The outcome of the vote this time is different, as the left-wing emerged victorious, which, according to many French media comments, is a surprise. It was expected that Macron, whose party was founded eight years ago, would once again gain a majority in parliament based on the fear of Marine Le Pen.
The fact that Macron governed poorly and is unpopular has fueled the opposition. Reforms of workers' and pensioners' rights, which he imposed bypassing parliament last year, caused major protests and gave the leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon a tool to overthrow Macron.
Melenchon, who leads the NFP coalition, benefited from the conflict between Macron and Le Pen, so his diverse coalition won. Macron's decision to support the NFP in the second round of elections speaks to how few options he had. Giving Melenchon a free hand means changes that Macron does not want. The leader of La France Insoumise calls for a new constitution, a higher minimum wage and lower taxes for the poor, higher taxes for the rich, green reindustrialization of the country, reform of education and justice, recognition of Palestine, and an end to, as he says, the "genocide" in the Gaza Strip...
Who Will Form the Government?
Who and how the government will be formed is unclear for now, but there is a consensus that Marine Le Pen will not be in it. No single party has a majority, so coalitions are being considered, as well as various maneuvers to form a government. Unaffiliated, minority, and technocratic governments, cohabitation are mentioned... The situation becomes more difficult due to the fact that coalitions and compromises between opposing parties are rare in France, so some predict a political crisis.
The possibility of the NFP breaking up into its constituent parts should not be overlooked, which would help Macron, if he were to think Machiavellianly again, to gain a majority. In support of this, let us mention that in addition to the three aforementioned political blocs, other parties also entered parliament, winning 84 seats.
Marine Le Pen said after the elections that the results show that the takeover of power has only been postponed and that her party will be stronger in the next elections. This time, Marine Le Pen might be telling the truth, if not because of her victory, or the victory of candidates from her party or ideological spectrum, then because of the accumulated problems that citizens recognize by voting for the extreme right and left. Macron's policy has been defeated in several African countries, which was unimaginable until recently.
The problems have transcended ideological divisions into left, center, and right. This is confirmed by the stance of Israeli politician and former minister Avigdor Lieberman, who called on Jews in France, about half a million of them, to come to Israel. "There is no time to lose," Lieberman said, adding that Melenchon "has become known for many statements against Jews and the State of Israel. His party represents pure anti-Semitism and expresses a significant increase in hatred towards Israel and anti-Semitism."
The election results in France have pleased most governments in the European Union, where France, along with Germany, is the undisputed leader. The election outcome has also pleased the official Kyiv, as Macron is deeply involved in the processes in Eastern Europe, and besides Le Pen, others support Ukraine.
The programs with which Melenchon, Macron, and Le Pen ran in the elections show all their differences. Macron bears the greatest responsibility, as he is the president of the state and his people lead the government. So far, he has found solutions in a technocratic manner. A divided society needs this as soon as possible. Otherwise, the extreme left and right could strengthen by the next elections and further deepen the divisions in society.
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