French candidates strike hasty deals to try to prevent far-right National Rally from leading government

PARIS (AP) — French opposition parties struck hasty deals Tuesday to try to block a landslide victory for Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in Sunday’s runoff election, as she said her party would lead the government only if it won an absolute majority — or close to it.

The National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, won the most votes in the first round of early legislative elections on June 30, but not enough to secure an overall victory that would allow the formation of the first far-right government in France since World War II.

“We cannot accept entering government if we are not capable of acting,” Marine Le Pen said in an interview with France Inter. “That would be the worst betrayal of our voters.” But “if we have, say, 270 deputies, we need 19 more, we will go to the others and ask them if they are ready to participate with us in a new majority.”

The first round propelled the National Rally closer than ever to government, but left open the possibility that voters could block its path to power on Sunday.

An unprecedented number of candidates who qualified for the second round, from the left-wing New Popular Front alliance and President Emmanuel Macron’s weakened centrists, have withdrawn in favor of the candidate most likely to prevail against a National Rally opponent. Several government ministers are among those who have dropped out of the race.

According to a count by the daily newspaper Le Monde, 218 candidates who were supposed to compete in the second round have withdrawn. Among them, 130 were left-wing and 82 were from the centrist alliance Ensemble, led by Macron. Candidates had until 6 p.m. local time to withdraw.

The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to respond to a request for confirmation of these figures.

“We have one objective today, which is to refuse an absolute majority to the National Rally,” declared François Ruffin, of the far-left party La France Insoumise, which is part of the new National Front alliance with the Greens, the Socialists and the Communists.

During the election campaign, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal visited a food market where he toasted “victory.”

“I must prevent the National Rally from obtaining an absolute majority in the National Assembly because that would be – and I say this from the bottom of my heart – it would be terrible for the country and for the French people,” Mr. Attal declared.

Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called early elections on June 9 after a crushing defeat by the National Rally in the European Parliament election. The unpopular president bet that the far right would not repeat that success as France’s fate hung in the balance.

But Macron’s plan has backfired. He is now accused, including by members of his own camp, of opening the door to the National Rally by calling on voters to return to the polls, especially at a time when so many are angry about inflation, the cost of living, immigration and Macron himself.

The far right has exploited this frustration and the sense that many French families are being left behind by globalisation. Marine Le Pen’s party campaigned on a platform that promised to increase consumer purchasing power, reduce immigration and take a tougher line on European Union rules.

Opponents of the National Rally fear for civil liberties if the party, which has a history of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and hostility to France’s Muslims, comes to power. It plans to strengthen police powers and restrict the rights of French citizens with dual nationality to work in some sectors of defense, security and the nuclear industry.

Macron himself has warned that the far right could lead France down the path to civil war.

On Tuesday, Marine Le Pen also raised the possibility of banning the Muslim headscarf. She said she was still in favor of banning the headscarf in public spaces but that the official decision justified “presidential authority.”

“There are a number of issues regarding Islamist ideologies and the headscarf is just one of them,” she said.

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Surk reported from Nice, France. Helena Alves in Paris contributed to this report.

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