The Official results from the interior ministry showed on Monday that the RN and allies had 33% of the vote, followed by a left-wing alliance with 28% and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists with just 20%.
That was a major blow for Macron, who called the early election after the RN crushed his ticket in last month’s European Parliament elections.
However, the outcome of next week’s pivotal round and the degree to which opposing parties are able to stymie Le Pen by uniting around the top-placing candidates in various French constituencies will determine if the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN can form a government.
On Sunday night, leaders of Macron’s centrist alliance and the left-wing New Popular Front made it clear that they would withdraw their own candidates from districts where another candidate was more likely to defeat the RN in the runoff on Sunday.
The RN, once seen negatively by many in France, is now in a position of greater influence than before. With voter resentment toward Macron, the high cost of living, and growing fears about immigration, Le Pen has attempted to repair the image of a party notorious for racism and antisemitism. This strategy has proven effective.
Given RN’s opposition to increased EU integration, an RN-led government would raise serious concerns about the direction the EU was taking. Concerns about the funding of its expenditure ambitions have also been raised by economists.
Monday’s Asian trade saw the euro reach a two-week high as investors were relieved that the RN had not performed better.
“I believe there was a small sense of relief because, well, there weren’t any surprises,” stated Fiona Cincotta, senior markets analyst at City Index.
Members of RN urged Republicans (LR), a party that received less than 7% of the first-round vote, to withdraw from districts where RN would profit from such a move on Monday.
“If they know they’re not going to win, I’m calling on them to stand down and let the national side win,” RN MP Laure Lavalette declared.
The Republicans party has not yet stated where it stands on the issue, despite splitting ahead of the vote when a few of its lawmakers joined the RN.
The candidates who advanced to the second round must confirm by Tuesday night if they intend to move on to the next stage.
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