Macron warns of civil war if far-right, hard-left win snap polls
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Jordan Bardella has encouraged voters to give the Eurosceptic party a clear majority so that it can carry out its anti-immigrant, law-and-order agenda.
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France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks before a meeting with NATO's secretary general at the Elysee Presidential Palace, June 24, 2024. (AFP)
France may descend into a civil war, said French President Emmanuel Macron, warning of his far-right and hard-left challengers' ideas.
Discussing the matter during a podcast titled "Generation Do It Yourself," Macron warned that the far-right RN party "divides and pushes towards civil war," while the hard-left France Unbowed party advocates "a form of communitarianism."
"Civil war follows on from that," he asserted.
Jordan Bardella, the far-right leader, declared Monday that his party is ready to rule, promising to reduce immigration and address cost-of-living concerns ahead of the country's most controversial election in decades.
Bardella told a press conference, "In three words: we are ready."
He encouraged voters earlier to give the Eurosceptic party a clear majority so that it can carry out its anti-immigrant, law-and-order agenda.
He asserted that "seven long years of Macronism has weakened the country," pledging to improve purchasing power, "restore order", and reform the legislation to make it easier to expel foreign criminals.
Support for Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is increasing ahead of the French legislative elections, as per a poll released on Friday.
According to an Ipsos survey for the daily Le Parisien and Radio France, the RN will receive 31.5% of the vote in the first round of elections, which will take place on June 30. The People's Front, comprised of left-wing and ecological parties, will receive 29.5% of the vote.
The poll predicts that the Macron alliance will receive 19.5% of the vote, placing them in third place.
Earlier this month, Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for a snap legislative election following his group's poor performance in the European Parliament elections. The first round of voting is scheduled for June 30, with the second round set for July 7.
Scholz 'concerned' about possible far-right election win in France
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he was "concerned" about the far-right's potential win in France's next legislative elections.
President Emmanuel Macron's party is lagging severely with less than two weeks until the first round of snap elections, which he called in reaction to the extreme right's thrashing in European polls.
During an annual summer interview for ARD, Scholz expressed he was "concerned about the elections in France," explaining that he hoped "parties that are not (Marine) Le Pen, to put it that way, are successful in the election. But that is for the French people to decide."
Scholz's comments could be due to his fear that the far-right party is making progress in European elections, as Germany's far-right AfD party scored gains in last month's European Parliament elections, while Scholz's government coalition suffered.
