France begins snap election campaign after Macron poll gamble
France on Monday begins less than a fortnight of frenetic election campaigning for snap polls called by President Emmanuel Macron to combat the far right, with star footballer Kylian Mbappé among many warning the country is at a historic crossroads.
Candidates had until Sunday evening to register for the 577 seats in the Assemblée nationale ahead of the official start of campaigning from midnight for the June 30th first round. The decisive second round takes place on July 7th.
The alliance led by centrist Macron, who called the snap polls some three years early after the far right trounced his party in EU Parliament elections, is still lagging way behind with little chance of winning an outright majority itself.
Many in France, including ex-leaders, remain baffled over why Macron took the risk of calling an election that could see the far-right Rasselblement National (RN) leading the government and its leader Jordan Bardella, 28, as prime minister.
IN PICTURES: Quarter million people protest against far-right in France
One of the most high-profile of the last candidates to register was Marie-Caroline Le Pen, the elder sister of the RN's three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who will stand for the party in the central Sarthe region.
Her daughter Nolwenn Olivier is Bardella's ex-partner.
Kylian Mbappé, representing France at the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, said he was "against extremes and divisive ideas" and urged young people to vote at a "crucial moment" in French history.
The striker defended comments made on Saturday by his teammate Marcus Thuram, saying he "had not gone too far" in calling on the country "to fight every day to stop" the RN winning the elections.
"Today we can all see that extremists are very close to winning power and we have the opportunity to choose the future of our country," Mbappé said.
France's men's football team has long been seen as a beacon for diversity in the country. The French Football Federation has urged against "any form of pressure and political use of the French team".
Macron's dissolving of parliament after the French far right's victory in the EU vote has swiftly redrawn the lines of French politics.
A new left-wing alliance, the Nouveau Front Populaire - made up of the far-left la France Insoumise, centre-left Parti Socialiste, Green and Communists - faced its first crisis over the weekend after some prominent MPs from La France Insoumise (LFI) party found they had not been put forward to stand again.
But Adrien Quatennens, a close ally of LFI figurehead Jean-Luc Mélenchon, withdrew his candidacy which had sparked anger due to a conviction for domestic violence.
On the right, the decision of Eric Ciotti, the leader of Les Républicans (LR), to seek an election pact with the RN provoked fury inside the party and a move by its leadership to dismiss him, which a Paris court blocked on Friday.
Adding to the chaos, the LR's executive is now fielding a candidate to stand against Ciotti in his home region of Nice.
Former right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that Ciotti should have consulted the party leadership over the coalition and put it to a members' vote.
He expressed concern that the LR risked just being absorbed into the RN and also questioned the wisdom of backing Bardella as premier.
Bardella has "never been in charge of anything", said Sarkozy, asking: "Can you lead France when you are so young and inexperienced?"
Macron is this week due to return to the domestic campaign fray from engagements abroad at the G7 summit in Italy and the Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland.
The president has been advised by comrades within his Renaissance ruling party to let the considerably more popular Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 35, take the lead in the campaign.
But the personal stakes are huge for Macron, who risks becoming a lame duck president until his term expires in 2027, even though he has ruled out stepping down whatever the result of the polls.
Former Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin, who famously bowed out of politics in 2002 after the far-right's Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine's father, kept him out of the presidential elections run-off, warned of the perils for Macron.
Jospin, who only speaks in public very rarely, said that Macron had forced France into a "hurried" campaign and was "giving the RN a chance to come to power in France".
"It's not responsible," he told Le Monde, accusing Macron of "arrogance" and witheringly adding that "surprise is not enough to be master of the game".
You can follow all the latest election news here, or sign up to receive our bi-weekly election breakdown here.
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Candidates had until Sunday evening to register for the 577 seats in the Assemblée nationale ahead of the official start of campaigning from midnight for the June 30th first round. The decisive second round takes place on July 7th.
The alliance led by centrist Macron, who called the snap polls some three years early after the far right trounced his party in EU Parliament elections, is still lagging way behind with little chance of winning an outright majority itself.
Many in France, including ex-leaders, remain baffled over why Macron took the risk of calling an election that could see the far-right Rasselblement National (RN) leading the government and its leader Jordan Bardella, 28, as prime minister.
IN PICTURES: Quarter million people protest against far-right in France
One of the most high-profile of the last candidates to register was Marie-Caroline Le Pen, the elder sister of the RN's three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who will stand for the party in the central Sarthe region.
Her daughter Nolwenn Olivier is Bardella's ex-partner.
Kylian Mbappé, representing France at the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, said he was "against extremes and divisive ideas" and urged young people to vote at a "crucial moment" in French history.
The striker defended comments made on Saturday by his teammate Marcus Thuram, saying he "had not gone too far" in calling on the country "to fight every day to stop" the RN winning the elections.
"Today we can all see that extremists are very close to winning power and we have the opportunity to choose the future of our country," Mbappé said.
France's men's football team has long been seen as a beacon for diversity in the country. The French Football Federation has urged against "any form of pressure and political use of the French team".
Macron's dissolving of parliament after the French far right's victory in the EU vote has swiftly redrawn the lines of French politics.
A new left-wing alliance, the Nouveau Front Populaire - made up of the far-left la France Insoumise, centre-left Parti Socialiste, Green and Communists - faced its first crisis over the weekend after some prominent MPs from La France Insoumise (LFI) party found they had not been put forward to stand again.
But Adrien Quatennens, a close ally of LFI figurehead Jean-Luc Mélenchon, withdrew his candidacy which had sparked anger due to a conviction for domestic violence.
On the right, the decision of Eric Ciotti, the leader of Les Républicans (LR), to seek an election pact with the RN provoked fury inside the party and a move by its leadership to dismiss him, which a Paris court blocked on Friday.
Adding to the chaos, the LR's executive is now fielding a candidate to stand against Ciotti in his home region of Nice.
Former right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that Ciotti should have consulted the party leadership over the coalition and put it to a members' vote.
He expressed concern that the LR risked just being absorbed into the RN and also questioned the wisdom of backing Bardella as premier.
Bardella has "never been in charge of anything", said Sarkozy, asking: "Can you lead France when you are so young and inexperienced?"
Macron is this week due to return to the domestic campaign fray from engagements abroad at the G7 summit in Italy and the Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland.
The president has been advised by comrades within his Renaissance ruling party to let the considerably more popular Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 35, take the lead in the campaign.
But the personal stakes are huge for Macron, who risks becoming a lame duck president until his term expires in 2027, even though he has ruled out stepping down whatever the result of the polls.
Former Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin, who famously bowed out of politics in 2002 after the far-right's Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine's father, kept him out of the presidential elections run-off, warned of the perils for Macron.
Jospin, who only speaks in public very rarely, said that Macron had forced France into a "hurried" campaign and was "giving the RN a chance to come to power in France".
"It's not responsible," he told Le Monde, accusing Macron of "arrogance" and witheringly adding that "surprise is not enough to be master of the game".
You can follow all the latest election news here, or sign up to receive our bi-weekly election breakdown here.
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