On Tuesday, July 2, nearly two hundred candidates, opponents of the National Union, announced their decision to withdraw from the second round of elections in order to avoid “scattering” the voters' votes and preventing the far-right party from coming to power.
About it reports Reuters. Marine Le Pen's National Rally Takes First Place in the first round of voting last Sunday. Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp came in third, with the left-wing New Popular Front in second place.
However, there is no guarantee that the National Rally will be able to get the 289 seats needed for a majority, and the removal of their opponents from the elections could further distance such a prospect for the far right, the publication notes.
According to sociologists, the National Rally could have won around 250-300 mandates in the first round. But that was before the tactical withdrawal of candidates and inter-party calls for voters to support the candidate who had the best chance of winning against the local rival of the National Rally. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris and a representative of the Socialists, noted with optimism:
“The match is not over yet. We must mobilize all our forces.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “democratic unity” in Sunday's second round to counter the far right.
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