Macron and his left-wing rivals clash to stop the rise of the far right in the second round of elections

Traditionally, the mainstream in France has united to keep the far right – which has never held power in the modern French republic – out of government.

“The lesson of today is that the far right is on the verge of power,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told his supporters on Sunday evening. “Our goal is clear: to prevent the National Rally from having an absolute majority.”

French politics is embarking on an intense two-day period of horse-trading, with each party trying to maximize its chances in next weekend’s final vote.

In more than half of the 577 constituencies, three people qualified for the second round. In these situations, the candidate who came in third place can withdraw to increase the chances that another dominant party will beat the National Rally.

The deadline for submitting applications for the second round is Tuesday at 6 p.m., and by then the situation will become clearer.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the New Popular Front, an alliance of left-wing parties, said he would encourage third-place candidates in his group to withdraw, while Macron himself issued a statement calling for “a broad alliance, clearly democratic and republican. for the second round.

Macron’s Renaissance party said it would remove third-place candidates where they placed third to help those who respect “the values ​​of the Republic” beat the far right.

But therein lies the problem: Mélenchon’s France Insoumise has proposed a series of expenditures that would go against European Union budgetary rules and could alarm investors. It is therefore not certain that Macron’s party will withdraw from the elections where the far left would benefit.

In an early sign that Macron’s team is seeking alliances with the left, the prime minister decided Sunday night to suspend the implementation of an unpopular change to unemployment insurance.

The government had said the measures would encourage people to work by reducing the generosity of welfare payments, but opposition parties have widely criticized the measure at a time when unemployment is rising.

Although Macron’s presidency is not formally at stake – and he has said he has no intention of resigning – Sunday’s result indicates that he will either have to share governing responsibilities with Le Pen’s group or manage a fundamentally deadlocked parliament.

The unrest also risks undermining Macron’s stature as an international leader playing a leading role in helping Ukraine fight off Russian invasion. Immediately after the runoff, he is scheduled to attend a NATO summit in Washington.

The arrival of the anti-immigration and Eurosceptic RN in government would constitute a turning point in the modern history of France: it is the first time that a far-right force has taken power in the country since the Second World War, when it was occupied by Nazi Germany.

“Nothing is won and the second round is decisive,” Le Pen, who has long worked to distance the party from its extremist origins, told supporters on Sunday.

“An absolute majority is needed for Jordan Bardella to be appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron in eight days.”

Bardella said he wanted to be the “Prime Minister of all French people”. He said he would only form a government if the RN obtained an absolute majority in the elections.

On Sunday evening, the atmosphere was gloomy on the Place de la République in Paris, where a few thousand anti-RN demonstrators gathered during a rally of the left alliance.

Najiya Khaldi, a 33-year-old teacher, said she felt “disgust, sadness and fear” at the registered nurse’s excellent results.

“I’m not used to demonstrating,” she said. I think I came to reassure myself, to not feel alone. »

French daily Libération called on voters to unite to stop the march of the far right. “After the shock, form a bloc,” the newspaper wrote on its front page on Monday.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Associated Press