What happened
France's far-right National Rally party won the first round of snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, taking 33% of the votes, the Interior Ministry said Monday. The leftist New Popular Front coalition earned 28%, while President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Ensemble (Together) alliance came in third with 21%.
Who said what
The "crushing victory" of Marine Le Pen's party brings its "long-taboo brand of nationalist and anti-immigrant politics to the threshold of power for the first time," The New York Times said.
Le Pen, who lost the presidency to Macron in 2017 and 2022, said French voters had shown a clear "desire to turn the page after seven years of contemptuous and corrosive power." She urged supporters to give her party an absolute majority — at least 298 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly — in the July 7 second round, so her protégé, Jordan Bardella, could become prime minister.
France's two-round voting system has long "functioned as a bulwark against parties from the far ends of the political spectrum, encouraging voters to blow off steam in the first round" before finally electing an "establishment candidate," The Wall Street Journal said. That may not work this time, due mainly to the large number of three-way runoff elections resulting from high voter turnout.
What next?
The difference between a National Rally majority and plurality in parliament is a "far-right government having a free hand" versus a "far-right government unable to do very much at all," the BBC said. Either way, Macron faces a "difficult three years" until his term ends in 2027, the Times said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fallThe Week Recommends Get ready for pumpkin spice season with concerts from big-name artists
-
How to put student loan payments on pauseThe Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
Is Kash Patel’s fate sealed after Kirk shooting missteps?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The FBI’s bungled response in the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting has director Kash Patel in the hot seat
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery caseSpeed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return homeSpeed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attemptSpeed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ousterSpeed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
Why can't France hold on to its prime ministers?Today's Big Question Spiralling debt, ageing population and cultural refusal to accept budget cuts – despite high welfare spending – have been turbocharged by Emmanuel Macron
-
France political crisis: what does Bayrou's gamble mean for Macron?Today's Big Question The French president could see his authority damaged beyond repair should another of his governments fail
