(DailyVantage.com) – France has seen a slow resurgence of right-wing political philosophy over the last few years, culminating in a win for the Rassemblement National party in the first round of France’s recent parliamentary election.
France’s unconventional voting method divides the process into two distinct rounds. The first round determines which political candidates and parties remain in the competition, with the second round determining which candidates win the election and gain a majority within the nation’s parliament. Marine Le Pen, France’s Rassemblement National leader and popular conservative official, won around 33.15 percent of the vote during the first round, prompting widespread protests from French leftists.
Following Le Pen’s win in the first round of the parliamentary elections, protestors gathered in Paris to show their opposition to the country’s growing conservative movement. Protestors started fires and clashed with first responders during the protests, and some demonstrators began vandalizing statues and monuments. French authorities even responded to a bombing that likely stemmed from the protests after a group of unknown assailants attempted to blow up a McDonald’s.
Despite the significant win for Marine Le Pen and her Rassemblement National party during the parliamentary election’s first round, the aspiring president failed to secure a win in the second round of voting. France’s various leftist organizations established an alliance before the second round began and used strategic voting to prevent Le Pen and her right-wing allies from gaining a majority in parliament. While the coalition managed to stop a conservative majority, it also created a deadlock in France’s parliament as neither side gained enough seats to control the country’s government.
France’s far-left parties established the New Popular Front, which included political philosophies ranging from socialism to moderate progressivism. The New Popular Front won 182 seats during the election, making it the most significant body within France’s government. French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist political party came in second place during the second round of voting, winning just 163 seats. Le Pen’s party dropped to third place during the second round of voting and won 143 seats. For a party to have a majority in France’s parliament, it has to win 289 seats. Since none of France’s political parties won the majority, some geopolitical experts are concerned about parliamentary deadlock within France and growing political radicalization.
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