Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally (RN) won big in early elections in France, sparking reactions from rival national parties and politicians abroad.
The RN won close to 34 percent of the vote in the first round of parliamentary elections, in what was a big victory – but not one that gives the party an absolute majority in parliament.
Le Pen, followed by the left-wing New Front Popular (NFP) coalition with around 29 percent and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance with around 20.5 percent, called on French citizens to vote for her party during the second round.
Despite the defeat, Macron welcomed the high voter turnout of 65.8 percent and reiterated his call to confront the extreme right in the second round.
“In light of the National Rally, the time has come for a great union, clearly democratic and republican for the second round”, highlighted the president in an official statement.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the center-left leader, said the president suffered a “harsh and indisputable defeat” and was to blame for the shock decision to dissolve parliament, but stopping the far right was the priority.
“Not one more vote for RN, not one more seat for RN”, he emphasized.
‘Chaos and failure’
In her first comments following the results of the first round in France, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that the “constant attempt to demonize” far-right voters was losing impact.
“The constant attempt to demonize and corner people who don’t vote for the left… is a trick that fewer and fewer people fall for,” Meloni told the Adnkronos news agency.
In the United Kingdom, election candidate Keir Starmer of the Labor Party said the far-right victory in France proves that the left must show that “only progressives have answers” to the problems in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
“We have to make this progressive call. But we have to, in doing so, understand why, certainly in the UK, after 14 years of chaos and failure, people feel dissatisfied with politics, put politics back into service and continue to make the argument that politics is a force for good,” he said.
Israel’s diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, said he was “impressed” by the positions adopted by Le Pen, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appears “of the same opinion”.
Chikli told public broadcaster Kan on Monday that it would be “excellent for Israel” if Le Pen became president in France, given her “firm stance” against Hamas, the International Criminal Court and anti-Semitism.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however, issued a warning about the far right.
“They love Putin, money and unchecked power. And they are already in power or are trying to achieve it in Eastern or Western Europe”, he wrote in an online publication.
“They are joining the European Parliament. In Poland, we reversed this fatal tide at the last moment. Let’s not waste it,” she added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet appeared to be respecting an unofficial ban on commenting on foreign elections.
But Michael Roth, a member of Scholz’s Social Democrats, said the party was to blame for not better supporting the liberal, pro-European president in France.
“We do not show sufficient consideration for the political debates and problems of other countries,” he added, noting that the alternative to Macron “in fact is no longer [former French President Nicolas] Sarkozy, but rather a far-right nationalist like Marine Le Pen.”
Spain’s socialist leader, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, said he sees a warning in the victory of the far right in France.
“The advance of the extreme right in France is not disconnected from what is happening in other parts of the world – including in Spain – where we see how, directly or indirectly… the extreme right is advancing institutionally and in opinion polls,” he said in an interview with the Cadena Ser radio network.
Meanwhile, French and European markets reacted favorably to Monday’s election results.
French shares and the euro recovered, with the CAC 40 index, which represents 40 of the largest companies listed in Paris, rising 2.7% at the open, before cooling off slightly.
The euro, which took a hit following Macron’s surprise announcement following the European Parliament elections in early June, reached its strongest level against the US dollar in more than two weeks.
European stocks also traded higher, with the European STOXX 600 index recovering from last week’s losses, partly driven by the boost in the CAC 40 index.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
