After a severe setback in the regional elections, French head of state Emmanuel Macron and right-wing populist Marine Le Pen both found themselves in need of an explanation. Macron’s party did not win the second round on Sunday in any area. According to predictions, Le Pen’s party failed in its stated plan to conquer the region for the first time and thus create a fortress of power.
The regions with less competence than the German federal states remained largely in the hands of the bourgeoisie both right and left. Turnout remained very low – about two out of three eligible voters did not participate in the vote.
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Macron and Le Pen are by far the most promising candidates in the presidential elections in ten months. Election night commentators said Le Pen will have to stand for her moderate course at the National Rally conference in a week. For example, the daughter of Front National co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen has long abandoned the radical demand to leave the eurozone in order to give the party a broader base of supporters. Jordan Bardela, a Rwandan Patriotic Front politician, spoke of a „failed meeting with the French” with the aim of holding regional elections.
The elections, which took place three months later than initially planned due to the Corona pandemic, revealed significant weaknesses in Macron’s camp in the regions. The remaining candidates from LREM and its allies ended up in the back seat. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal spoke of „disappointment”.
Macron’s weekly Le Journal du Dimanche should give a signal now by July 14, even before the election results are announced. Several media reported that a major government reshuffle, which had been speculated for a long time, was not initially planned.
Le Pen’s party hoped to occupy the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of Marseille and Nice. Candidate Thierry Mariani got a good 42 percent, according to France 2 television. The conservative bourgeois candidate Renaud Muselier scored more than 57 percent – he declared himself the winner that evening.
On the civil right, regional politicians who have proven to be in office were nominated by a clear majority for the presidential elections. „This result gives me the strength to communicate with all the French,” said Xavier Bertrand from the northern district of Hauts-de-France.
Coincidence or not: Macron wants to head to Bertrand on Monday to announce a $1 billion investment by China’s Envision group in a battery factory, AFP reported. The batteries are installed in Renault electric cars. According to the Elysee Palace, Macron also wants to receive about 150 local and foreign business chiefs to promote the site in Versailles near Paris. (dpa)