Les Républicains MPs to join National Rally in elections: RN leader

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Jun 2024 18:07

The president of the right-wing party says he held discussions with members from other parties who expressed readiness to work with the National Rally.

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Marine Le Pen and the president of the National Rally party Jordan Bardella during a congress for RN in Paris, France in November 2022 (AP)

Several legislators from the French The Republicans (Les Républicains) party have consented to unite with a coalition under the leadership of the far-right National Rally (RN) party in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, announced RN leader Jordan Bardella on Tuesday.

Following the initial results indicating defeat for his coalition against the RN in the European Union Parliament election, French President Emmanuel Macron instructed the dissolving of the lower house of the National Assembly and scheduled snap elections on two rounds - June 30 and July 7.

In the conclusive outcome of the EU Parliament elections, the National Rally party secured 31.37 percent of the votes in France, whereas Macron's Renaissance party and its allies garnered a mere 14.6 percent of the votes.

"I have addressed all the political groupings and I can inform you that I have conducted talks with those who do not belong to our political family, with Republicans… they are ready to work with us," Bardella told French radio broadcaster RTL.

The party leader did not specify the number of Republicans intending to support the National Rally.

Bardella also announced that the RN will provide support to candidates from other parties at the polls.

"Among the candidates to be supported by my political movement in the elections to the legislative bodies will be not only people from the National Rally, but also people from the Republicans," he said, calling on the coalition members to coordinate efforts to "put an end to the spiral of defeats to which the country was brought by Macron's system."

He mentioned that the forthcoming elections are intended to establish a fresh majority and select a new government with the goal of revitalizing the nation.

Macron said that the outcome of the EU elections is "not a good result for parties who defend Europe," noting that far-right parties in France had managed to take almost 40% of the vote.

"Far right parties... are progressing everywhere in the continent," he said. "It is a situation to which I cannot resign myself .. So, at the end of this day, I cannot act as if nothing had happened."

The dissolution will be the first such move since 1997 when then right-wing President Jacques Chirac called snap legislative elections only to see the left win a majority.

RN Vice President Sebastien Chenu announced on Monday that the party's 28-year-old leader Jordan Bardella would be its contender for prime minister if it won a majority in snap elections.