PARIS, June 30. /TASS/. France is about to hold a snap elections to the National Assembly (the lower house of parliament), which distinctive feature is an extremely brief (less than three weeks) election campaign that would overlap with preparations for the Olympics due to kick off in Paris on July 26.
A total of 577 seats are up for grabs for the centrist presidential coalition, the right-wing National Rally (RN) and the leftist New Popular Front.
A candidate wins the seat if he or she secures a majority of votes in the first ballot. Only the candidates who garnered at least 12.5% of the votes in the first round are allowed to participate in the second one. Those win who secure more votes.
Snap national election
French President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election on June 9 after the presidential coalition had been trounced in elections to the European Parliament.
By holding the snap parliamentary election, the French president hopes to expand the political base of the ruling bloc in order to ensure reliable support for his policies among lawmakers.
However, the results of recent opinion polls do not show that Macron’s supporters have been able to improve their ratings. According to the polls, the presidential coalition may come third, trailing behind both right-wing and left-wing opponents. The National Rally has a widening lead in the rankings, and is followed by New Popular Front, which is also ahead of the ruling party.
According to political analysts, Macron supporters’ performance was affected by the French people’s discontent caused by economic woes and high inflation. The 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, was also unpopular and sparked mass protests among trade unions.
In addition, Paris’ statements that there are no red lines in the Ukraine conflict, including the plans to deploy French soldiers to Ukraine and send missiles to Kiev, have gained no support either.
Clash of leaders
France’s top three political forces in the European Parliament elections are vying for 577 seats in the National Assembly.
The centrists, as during the European Parliament elections, have teamed up around the president. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 35, tops the list of candidates.
The right-wing National Rally is led by Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old leader of the party. Marine Le Pen nominated him as candidate for prime minister.
The coalition of leftist forces - the New Popular Front - brought together the party ‘La France Insoumise’ (France Unbowed) founded by Jean-Luc Melenchon, the Socialists led by Olivier Faure, Fabien Roussel’s French Communist Party and the Green party led by Marine Tondelier.
The three blocs can nominate their leaders as prime minister. Under the constitution, the prime minister is appointed by the president, whose political future is not affected by the agenda of this election. Macron, who cannot run for a third term, has previously reiterated that he will remain in office until his term ends in 2027.