One year before the presidential race, the ultra-right National Rally (RN) party, led by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, secured important victories in the first round of municipal elections in France. According to estimates by CNN’s French affiliate, BFM TV, the party secured, together with allies, more than 1 million votes and went to the 2nd round in important cities, such as Nice and Marseille – the second largest in the country.
“It’s an immense victory for our movement. Everywhere, we have made progress – with a real chance of victory on March 22,” former party president Marine Le Pen said in an X post.
In many municipalities, and not only in the cities where we were outgoing, the National Rally won in the first round. This is a huge victory for our movement!
Everywhere else, we are making progress, with a real chance of victory on March 22…
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel)
The MPE and possible candidate for president of the Republic, Jordan Bardella, also celebrated the party’s result.
“I invite the French to choose deeply patriotic mayors, who will be the voice of change and the country’s recovery,” he said.
National Reunion is a controversial acronym in the country.
Founded under the name National Front by Jean-Marie Le Pen – Marine’s father -, it changed its name to try to position itself a little further from the political extremism that marked its initial decades and attract new voters. Jean-Marie, in 1987, said that the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps were a “point of detail in the history of the Second World War”.
Even after the change, the party remains known for its anti-immigration proposals considered prejudiced, contrary to the European Union and close to Russia.
In Marseille, RN candidate Franck Allisio finished in 2nd place – just over 1 percentage point behind the current mayor, Benoît Payan. The result was strongest in Nice, with Eric Ciotti coming in 1st place by a large margin to competitors – including the current mayor, Christian Estrosi.
Estrosi, after the results were released, called for the creation of a “barrier” against the ultra-right.
“The extreme right is a threat and puts Nice in danger. I ask all those who abstained and left-wing voters who identify with republican values to unite,” he said.
The result exposes the party’s strength in the south of France, where it achieved most of its positive numbers. The region suffers from security problems, with an increase in drug trafficking and other violent crimes. Taking advantage of the situation, the party focuses its efforts on a tough speech on security – marked by speeches against immigration.
In addition to the situation at the polls, polls show a more favorable scenario for the ultra-right party. According to data from Ipsos-BVA, half of French people want National Rally to emerge stronger from these elections.
The RN seeks to continue with these results next year, with the presidential elections in France. Research places Bardella – who has not yet confirmed his candidacy – in 1st position with a big advantage over all competitors.
– and he can no longer run, as he is already in a second term.
Some cities, however, still show resistance to the ultra-right.
In Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, from the Socialist Party, goes to the 2nd round along with 4 other candidates.
In France, candidates who receive more than 10% of the votes go to the 2nd round. Therefore, in very divided scenarios, a new round of votes may have more than two names.
Grégoire represents one – who has been in office for more than 10 years. RN managed to take its candidate, Sarah Knafo, to the 2nd round, but she was placed last.
In Lyon, Réunion National was left out of the second round and saw the center-right move into a dispute with the left and the extreme left.
For some French people, these numbers are, in a way, comforting.
“I’m pleasantly surprised by the left’s results in many cities, that’s a good surprise. Honestly, it’s not as bad as I imagined,” Luna Varanguien, a festival producer, told Reuters.
