In a divided France, left-wing voters hope to unite against the extreme right | Election News

Names marked with an asterisk have been changed to protect identities.

Paris, France – Across France, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets after President Emmanuel Macron called early elections following his party’s defeat at the hands of the far right in the recent vote in the European Parliament.

The demonstrations are both against the extreme right and against Macron’s decision.

In Paris, at Place de la Republique, on June 15, people climbed the statue of Marianne before following the familiar route from Republique to Nation.

The most recent wave of rallies in France was triggered by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, which obtained 31.4% of the vote, led by Jordan Bardella. The coalition under Macron’s Renaissance party polled just 14.6 percent.

Justine*, a student in Paris, has worked on campaigns for several left-wing candidates.

“RN is a hate party based on racism and extremism and capitalism. A far-right regime is also extremely dangerous for women’s rights,” she told Al Jazeera.

Organizers have been struggling since Macron called early elections.

“No one expected this. It takes a lot to organize everything, especially for small candidates. We ended up only having 15 days before they had to register. It’s not really democratic,” said Justine.

‘A very, very risky bet’

By calling new elections, which will be held in two rounds, on June 30 and July 7, Macron is betting that French voters will speak out against the far right and set a new tone – one of better results for the center in future elections.

“It’s a very, very risky bet,” said Philippe Marliere, professor of French and European politics at University College London. “He will probably lose this election.”

It is unlikely that Macron’s party will win a majority and the nationalist and anti-immigration RN could win even more seats.

If the RN achieves an absolute majority in the French parliament, the National Assembly, Bardella could become prime minister.

“The remarkable result…confirmed the rise of the far right,” Marliere said. “Never before has the far right exceeded the 30% threshold in a national election.”

For Justine, the French president’s agenda contributed to the normalization of “extreme” ideologies.

“Macron is not entirely innocent. He has enacted policies that align with the far right and I don’t believe he is a social rights or human rights president,” she said.

RN has a platform against globalization and immigration, pushing for stricter border control and fewer ecological policies. But, in recent years, voting for the RN has become more common in France.

“In this country, the far right has become very dominant and normalized. What scares me most is that people are still shocked,” Rim-Sarah Alouane, a French researcher in comparative law at Toulouse Capitole University, told Al Jazeera.

Some of Macron’s policies, such as his immigration law, appeal to traditional far-right views.

“Critics argue that [Macron] it really borrowed from RN policies on immigration, Islam, all the endless culture wars, ‘wokeism’ as the French say,” Marliere said. “People have the feeling that these [ideas] are, in the end, acceptable. People are no longer afraid to vote for the party.”

Beatrice Chappedelaine, a retired teacher who lives in Normandy, said she was sad about the politics and working conditions in France.

“We shouldn’t be surprised that RN is on the rise, given the insecurity, poverty and indigence of the current government,” said Chappedelaine, who is around 80 years old.

Despite her feelings about the state of the country, she will vote in the early elections.

“I always voted. For me, it is a duty,” she said.

Although she did not reveal who she would vote for, she said it would not be for RN or the left.

Meanwhile, experts fear that voter turnout could be low, with many absent during the holiday season.

Voter turnout in France in the European Parliament elections was 51.4 percent.

Young voters registered high abstention rates: 59 percent for young people between 25 and 34 years old and 51 percent for young people between 18 and 24 years old.

“What worries me is the timing: dissolving the National Assembly when people go on vacation. Abstention is already very high. The extreme right won because of people who are not going to vote,” said Alouane.

‘The left could be the real surprise’

The left formed an alliance, the Popular Front, to try to unite voters.

His platform promises to raise wages, lower the retirement age from 64 to 60, provide better protections for asylum seekers and climate refugees, and support stronger climate policies.

“The left could be the real surprise in this election,” said Marliere. “It is possible that the left will come in second place [after RN]all left-wing parties now united in this coalition called the Popular Front.”

But the coalition does not represent unity.

“The Popular Front is above all an electoral coalition,” said Marliere. “It’s not that suddenly the left is a bloc and has a new name. Certainly not. It is there to serve a purpose: to present a single candidate per electoral district, because if they don’t, they will be eliminated in the first round.”

Baptiste Colin, a 29-year-old theater producer from Lyon, has reservations about the coalition.

“I think the coalition is possible, but on the left there is no clear leader. We are missing a strong personality in the media,” Colin told Al Jazeera.

The RN won over young voters, obtaining the support of 30 percent of young people aged 18 to 24 and 28 percent of young people aged 25 to 34 in the June 9 elections.

“The left does not feel heard. I voted for Macron in 2022 and against Le Pen, but I feel like he pushed the RN to become something more respectable. It seems that today he is saying that the RN can govern and that we have to choose between the RN and Macron”, said Colin.

Some of the biggest French influencers on social media spoke out against the RN, calling on their followers to vote.

The biggest French YouTuber, Squeezie, who has 19 million followers, published a post on June 14 saying it was important to “react for the good of all citizens of the country against a hateful and destructive ideology.”

The problems of Macron’s majority

President Macron’s coalition lost its absolute majority in parliament in 2022, hampering efforts to pass internal reforms.

Since then, his government has resorted to passing legislation without a vote in parliament, using article 49.3 of the French Constitution, including his controversial reform bill.

This lack of maneuverability to lead as expected may have been the reason why he decided to dissolve parliament on June 9, according to Marliere.

“It has been extremely difficult for your party to govern and pass legislation because there is no absolute majority,” he said. “I think Macron feels that he was not really able to govern the way he wanted because of this situation. Therefore, his room for maneuver was very limited. His wings were clipped, so to speak.”

Jacques Chirac, a conservative, was the last president to call early elections in 1997, when the left won a majority. He then had to spend five years governing with the left.

Regardless of their political affiliations, French voters are well aware of the importance of the upcoming vote.

“Historically, legislative elections didn’t seem that important. It’s not the presidential election, but now it has become essential,” said Colin.

“I know a lot of people who didn’t vote two weeks ago because they didn’t feel like it or were out of town, but now they’re going to vote because it’s so much more important.”