In Tourcoing in Hauts de France, the NFP candidate withdrew to block the far right. Voters will have to choose between Gérald Darmanin and the RN in the second round.
ADVERTISEMENTMaintain one’s candidacy or withdraw to block the path of the extreme right? This is the dilemma faced by the qualified candidates who came in third place in the first round of the legislative elections.
In the tenth constituency of the North, which includes part of the city of Tourcoing, Macronist candidate and Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin narrowly came out on top in the first round with 36% of the vote. He is closely followed by the National Rally candidate, Bastien Verbrugghe, who obtained 34% of the vote.
Coming third with 24% of the vote, Leslie Mortreux, the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) had gathered the 12.5% of the votes necessary to qualify for the second round. However, she decided to withdraw in order to block the National Rally.
Blocking the RN
The candidate for the Ecological Revolution for the Living (REV) speaks of a difficult choice.
“It must be acknowledged that Gérald Darmanin is not a Macronist like any other. Despite this, I could not look voters in the eye and tell them that I had not done everything to prevent the National Front from passing.“, declared the LFI-REV candidate to Euronews.
A decision welcomed by the head of the Tourcoing section of the Socialist Party.
“It is a coherent decision which is in line with national recommendations but also which is in line with the convictions of the left-wing electorate which has always in its history blocked the national rally.“, assures Ali Laazaoui, the head of the socialist party section in Tourcoing, Euronews.
Divided voters
On the ground, feelings are mixed among voters as the second round approaches. Some approve of the withdrawal of candidates who came third in order to block the path of the extreme right.
“If they stay in power, it’s certain that the National Front will win. So it’s better to try to give Darmanin a voice.“, believes a left-wing voter.
“In the first round I voted left in order to block the National Rally but for the second round I will hesitate to vote for Darmanin.“, explains Adam, 19, an apprentice at Mister Cook. While he doesn’t want to let the far right through, he wants to analyze the programs before casting his ballot.
“For me they are afraid of the RN. They are afraid and they are trying to defend themselves and in any case they will not succeed,” believes an 18-year-old National Rally voter, a groom and caregiver, who is certain that the RN will win the majority in the Assembly.
Tired of being called to vote “against” the RN, rather than voting “for” a candidate who shares their convictions, other voters are reluctant to give their vote to Gérald Darmanin, some of whose positions may have offended the left-wing electorate.
“We really feel like we’re in a political group where it’s played out between them and we feel like we’re outside the game. Who did we ask the question of whether these political arrangements were good? It’s enough to say that we’re blocking the way. How long will we block the way?” asks Saliame Khéloufi, a visibly moved actress.
89 triangular out of 306
Following the victory of the National Rally in the European elections, President Emmanuel Macron called early legislative elections to renew the National Assembly.
At the national level, the National Rally came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections with 33.20% of the vote. The New Popular Front came second with 28.27% of the vote, followed by the presidential majority party Ensemble which obtained 21.73% of the vote.
The high turnout in the first round (66.7%) mathematically increased the number of possible three-way races, a configuration where three candidates who obtained more than 12.5% of the votes qualify for the second round.
Faced with the RN’s historic score, the New Popular Front and Ensemble called for a blockade of the National Rally. In order to avoid the dispersion of votes, the candidates who came third were called upon to withdraw their candidacies.
224 qualified candidates withdrew between the two rounds. Consequently, of the 306 three-way races that could have taken place in the second round, only 89 will ultimately take place.
ADVERTISEMENTEnough to prevent the National Rally from obtaining a majority in the Assembly? Results on July 7.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings