According to exit polls, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party scored historic gains in Sunday’s first round of France’s parliamentary election. The final outcome will be determined in next week’s run-off.
The RN secured around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay, and Elabe indicated. This is a significant setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who called the snap election after his party was trounced by the RN in European Parliament elections earlier this month. The RN’s share of the vote was comfortably ahead of leftist and centrist rivals, including Macron’s Together alliance, which garnered between 20.5% and 23%. The New Popular Front (NFP), a hastily assembled left-wing coalition, was projected to win around 29% of the vote.
Le Pen’s supporters celebrated the exit poll results, which matched pre-election opinion surveys. Sunday’s high turnout suggests France is heading for a record number of three-way run-offs, which experts say generally benefit the RN more than two-way contests.
As France stands on the brink of this seismic political shift, left-wing groups prepare for civil unrest if Le Pen secures a final victory next week. The prospect of a more conservative government has ignited a network of left-wing radical resistance among civil servants and activists.
Leaders of this movement have laid out their game plan: civil disobedience, judicial activism, and civil servants’ refusal to enforce orders they believe undermine the Republic’s core values as they see them. This resistance, driven primarily by civil servants, aims to confront any conservative policies they anticipate under the new government.
The left is creating fear and hysteria around a Le Pen presidency, gearing up for massive violent protests. Ironically, they accuse Le Pen of planning to implement authoritarian measures when, in fact, Macron’s left-wing government enforced such measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Macron’s administration imposed unconstitutional lockdowns and restrictions, which Le Pen tirelessly fought against, standing up to his authoritarian diktats.
The left is pushing an agenda encapsulated in the words of French poet Louis Aragon: “When wheat is under the hail, it is foolish to be gentle.” This line has become a rallying cry for violent activists and leaders advocating immediate action, using the unfounded threat of a conservative-leaning government to justify these illegal preparations.
As the election nears, France remains deeply polarized, with tensions escalating due to the left’s actions. The left is once again using threats and violence to hinder an elected official chosen by the people. If they can’t win at the polls, they’ll try to win in the streets using violence. This is both alarming and concerning. They will take any means necessary to subvert laws and the Constitution to stay in power—this is their latest tactic.
News Link: https://rairfoundation.com/france-braces-chaos-left-gears-up-violent-unrest/