Far-Right Sends Shockwaves in France After Electoral Breakthrough

France’s far-right scored a historic success in legislative elections on Sunday increasing its number of lawmakers almost tenfold and cementing the party’s rise from fringe status to the mainstream opposition.

Since taking the helm of the party in 2011, leader Marine Le Pen has sought to rid the National Front – now called the National Rally (RN) – of the anti-Semitic image it acquired under the nearly 40-year leadership of her father, ex-paratrooper Jean-Marie Le Pen.

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{snip} According to estimates, Le Pen’s party will win between 85-90 seats, up from just two in 2012 and eight in 2017 {snip} Major pollsters last week estimated just 25-50 seats.

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Sunday’s result killed a so-called “republican front” of voters of all stripes that had rallied behind a mainstream candidate to prevent the far-right progressing.

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While in terms of seats Le Pen’s party will be behind the left wing grouping, it will enable the RN to have much more weighting in parliament.

It will, for example, be able to put forward no-confidence votes against the government, send draft legislation to France’s top constitutional courts, lead parliamentary commissions and have much more speaking time in the National Assembly.

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