More than 210 candidates quit French runoff, aiming to block far right

WORLD  03 July 2024 - 18:06

In France's snap parliamentary elections, over 210 candidates have withdrawn to bolster stronger contenders who could better challenge the far right, Caliber.Az reports via French media.

This includes 131 candidates from the left-wing alliance New Popular Front and 82 from the centrist alliance Together for the Republic, who withdrew before the July 7 second-round deadline. Additional candidates from various political backgrounds also withdrew for diverse reasons.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, representing the centrist alliance supported by President Emmanuel Macron, explained on France Inter early Wednesday that in 90% of cases, withdrawals came from their alliance or the New Popular Front.

The strategy is straightforward as withdrawing candidates aims to consolidate votes against the right wing, potentially boosting another candidate's chances against a far-right National Rally (RN) candidate.

However, a significant number of candidates—178 from the left-wing alliance and 169 from the centrist bloc—did not withdraw.

"Some candidates believe that by staying in the race, they reduce the risk of an RN victory," Attal elaborated.

Following the National Rally's strong showing in European Parliament elections, where they secured over 31% of the vote, Macron dissolved parliament on June 9 and called early elections.

In the first round on June 30, the RN received 29.5% of the vote individually, rising to over 33% when combined with allies, according to official results.

Alone, the party garnered more than 9.37 million votes, securing 37 seats in parliament.

The New Popular Front, with 27.99% (over 8.9 million votes), and the centrist Together for the Republic alliance with slightly over 20.04% (more than 6.4 million votes), followed closely with 32 and two seats respectively.

The second round of elections is scheduled for Sunday to elect 577 members of the National Assembly for a five-year term.

Caliber.Az