French elections, wave of withdrawals from second round in anti-Le Pen view. But Macron’s front is divided

Brussels – Ahead of the second round of the legislative elections, the French left has decided to ‘hold its nose’ and withdraw its candidates from constituencies where they would indirectly risk favoring the victory of the National Rally, thus leaving the duel – and its votes – to their colleagues in the Presidential coalition Ensemble. But reciprocity hangs in the balance: several members of the alliance around Macron refuse to indirectly support the New Popular Front (NFP), particularly candidates from La France Insoumise.

Candidates have until 6 p.m. today (July 2) to formalize their candidacy or withdraw. According to the data released by Le Monde, in the 311 constituencies of the Hexagon where the runoff is triangular — or even four-way — there have already been 190 ‘désistements,‘ of which 123 have come from candidates from the front grouping La France Insoumise, the Communist Party, the Ecologists, the Socialist Party, and Place Publique, and 64 from the Presidential camp.

The picture taken this morning still includes 121 two-way second rounds. Since only 76 seats – 39 to the Rassemblement National and 32 to the NFP – were allocated in the first round, the race to win the 289-seat majority in the National Assembly is still wide open. With the announced withdrawals, now 380 ballots will be two-way, in which, potentially, the Republican front can erect a wall against far-right candidates.

Speaking to France Inter, Marine Le Pen said that the National Rally will not agree to govern if it cannot count on an absolute majority in the National Assembly. “We cannot agree to go into government if we cannot act. That would be the worst betrayal of our electorate,” she explained.

While the leftist front is determined to do all it can to avert the rise of Le Pen’s dauphin Jordan Bardella as head of the French executive, within the governing majority, there are those – such as Macron – who call for a “republican union,” and those who refuse to look to the left to defeat the right. This includes Edouard Philippe, leader of the center-right Horizons party and former Prime Minister, who said he was open to the withdrawal of his candidates in favor of a leftist candidate unless it is a candidate from La France Insoumise, the party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. So did the current Economy Minister, Bruno Le Maire: “No vote for the National Rally,” he told Le Figaro, “but I refuse to vote for La France Insoumise whose openly communitaristic and insidiously anti-Semitic project is contrary to our nation.