French Elections: Marine Le Pen’s National Coalition on Track to Dominate in First Round, Raising Concerns About Attitudes Towards Russia and Europe

The French will be casting their ballots in the first round of early parliamentary elections today. These elections were called by President Emmanuel Macron following the reveal of the results from the European elections. According to the most recent poll by Ifop Fiducial’s Gallup, Marine Le Pen’s National Coalition is projected to receive 36 percent support, making them a formidable force in French politics. Behind them are the center-left and green coalition with 28 percent, and Macron’s center-right coalition with approximately 20 percent.

Mujtaba Rahman, an expert in European politics at the Eurasia Group Research, predicts that the National Coalition will become the largest group in the French National Assembly. This would be a first in French history and has raised concerns about their attitudes towards Russia and Europe. Le Pen has promised to hold a referendum on the primacy of the French constitution over European law if they come to power. This could potentially steer European politics in a different direction, potentially impacting French support for Ukraine.

Candidates need to receive at least 12.5 percent of the votes in their constituency to advance to the second round of elections. While Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé, is currently leading in