A week after French President Emmanuel Macron made the surprising decision to dissolve parliament, the country’s early election campaign officially begins on Monday with final lists of candidates and alliances hastily concluded. The parties, taken aback by Macron’s decision, had until 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, to submit their candidates for the 577 electoral districts. The polls are scheduled for June 30 and July 7. The far-right party RN (Rassemblement National) is favored after its strong showing of 31.4 percent in the European elections.
Concerns about the far right coming to power led to 250,000 demonstrators, according to estimates by the union, rallying in France on Saturday, plunging the political class into intense machinations. After a week of confusion, the right-wing party LR (les Républicains) is expected to provide clarity to voters on who will join the presidential majority or the RN party. RN party leader Jordan Bardella announced the emergence of a common candidate in 70 electoral districts and expressed interest in privatizing the public broadcaster in the long term if the party wins.
On the left, a New Popular Front alliance has been formed quickly, ranging from small anti-capitalist parties to social democratic ex-president François Hollande. Despite fundamental differences, the alliance agreed on a common program and received support from former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on Sunday. The left-wing alliance is seen as the only barrier against the RN party. However, there are internal struggles within the alliance that threaten its unity. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of LFI (la France Insoumise), showed restraint on Sunday, acknowledging that he may not be the preferred choice for prime minister.
According to a poll commissioned by the news channel BFMTV and the newspaper La Tribune dimanche, one in three French voters want RN to win the elections, one in four prefer the left-wing alliance, and one in five support Renaissance, Macron’s party.