“The far-right representative hoped to reach at least the bar of 15 elected to form a group in the National Assembly. It’s done, hands down.” comment The Free Belgium, which reminds that “It’s only the second time in history that the party has succeeded in forming a group, which gives it more funding, certain functions in the committees of the Assembly, but also more visibility”.
“This is the most striking result of the evening, strikes The Guardian, Le Pen’s far-right anti-immigration party, the National Rally, is expected to increase its seats eightfold to more than 80 seats – an all-time high.” The British daily notes that the RN “spread from its traditional heartland in Pas-de-Calais to the north and north-east and also, from its south-eastern stronghold, along the Mediterranean coast as well as, significantly , in the west of France, including the Bordeaux region”.
An important step towards the heart of the political scene
“A success that could be explained by the mobilization of its electorate in the home straight: the final turnout is estimated at 46%, i.e. three points better than in 2017 (43%) when the first round signed historical records of abstention”, analyse Time.
Among the first sites to headline the success of the National Rally, Bloomberg analyse :
“The RN is likely to win enough seats to be able to exert influence on committees and be given guaranteed speaking time to air its views, a significant step in years of effort by the Le Pen to lead the party to the center of French politics.”
The recomposed political landscape
Pour The New York Times, this parliamentary group is “crucial for the RN” car parts has long struggled with financial problems. The electoral result also confirms the predominance of Marine Le Pen in the French extreme right, a time questioned by Éric Zemmour.
And yet, recalls the American daily, success comes after a campaign “dull” from Marine Le Pen. “After her defeat by Emmanuel Macron in April, Ms Le Pen had simply disappeared from the political scene only to resurface in May, explaining on television that Macron was very likely to be assured of a majority in Parliament – and therefore in a way by admitting defeat in advance. For weeks, the National Rally campaigned without real leadership, and failed to impose its favorite subjects such as economic precariousness, immigration and insecurity in the public debate.
For its part, the British weekly The Economist sees in the breakthrough of the RN a sign that is not insignificant for the hexagonal political landscape.
“The National Rally has every chance of becoming a more important parliamentary force than all the constituent parties of the Nupes. This confirms the transformation of the French political landscape into three blocs: the centre, which Macron continues to dominate, the radical left and the nationalist right.