2 months ago
24
In early June, the far right made sweeping gains in the European Parliament elections, including in France. In a shock bid, French President Emmanuel Macron called an early snap election. His goal: to halt the narrative of the rise of the fascist right, one he didn’t want bedeviling him throughout his remaining three years in office.
The gambit was considered madness. Polls suggested the hard-right National Rally party would win big. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen essentially ran a preelection victory lap, giving a substantial interview to CNN this past Thursday. In it, she vowed to heavily curtail aid to Ukraine.
Yet, when the vote was counted, Macron’s goal of neutering Le Pen seems to have proved successful. The National Rally wound up in third place, behind the unified left and Macron’s centrist party.
Believe it or not, this story is very relevant to our own November elections.
