{"id":89269,"date":"2024-07-06T23:05:08","date_gmt":"2024-07-06T23:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/06\/frances-snap-election-enters-its-final-hours\/"},"modified":"2024-07-06T23:05:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-06T23:05:08","slug":"frances-snap-election-enters-its-final-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/06\/frances-snap-election-enters-its-final-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"France\u2019s Snap Election Enters Its Final Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/06\/multimedia\/06france-what-to-watch-fghw\/06france-what-to-watch-fghw-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"France\u2019s Snap Election Enters Its Final Hours\" title=\"France\u2019s Snap Election Enters Its Final Hours\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Voters in France will cast ballots on Sunday in the final round of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/01\/world\/europe\/france-election-national-rally.html\" title=\"\">snap legislative elections<\/a>. The results could force President Emmanuel Macron to govern alongside far-right opponents or usher in chronic political instability weeks before the Paris Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Macron called the elections for the 577-seat National Assembly, France\u2019s lower and more prominent house of Parliament, last month in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/27\/world\/europe\/france-macron-snap-election-decision.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">a risky gamble<\/a> that appeared to have <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/01\/world\/europe\/macron-election-national-rally.html\" title=\"\">largely backfired<\/a> after the first round of voting last week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most polls close at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, or as late as 8 p.m. in larger cities. Nationwide seat projections by polling institutes, based on preliminary results, are expected just after 8 p.m. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.resultats-elections.interieur.gouv.fr\/legislatives2024\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Official results<\/a> will come in throughout the night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here is what to watch for.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-498b27d3\">Will the far right win enough seats for an absolute majority?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That will be the key question.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The first round of voting was dominated by the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/02\/world\/europe\/france-national-rally-policies.html\" title=\"\">nationalist, anti-immigration<\/a> National Rally party. An alliance of left-wing parties called the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/05\/world\/europe\/france-left-new-popular-front.html\" title=\"\">New Popular Front<\/a> came in a strong second, while Mr. Macron\u2019s party and its allies came in third.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Seventy-six seats were won outright \u2014 roughly half by the National Rally. But the rest went to runoffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Over 300 districts were three-way races until over 200 candidates from left-wing parties and Mr. Macron\u2019s centrist coalition pulled out to avoid splitting the vote and try to prevent the far right from winning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That will make it harder, though not impossible, for the National Rally and its allies to reach an absolute majority.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ifop.com\/elections-2024\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Most<\/a> <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IpsosFrance\/status\/1809212970230034539\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">French<\/a> <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/harrisint_fr\/status\/1808532549745963131\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">pollsters<\/a> expect the party and its allies to win 175 to 240 seats \u2014 short of an absolute majority of 289 seats. But if the National Rally and its allies secure an absolute majority, they will almost certainly be able to form a government \u2014 and Mr. Macron, who says he will remain in office, will have to work with them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4e1c356a\">How will the country\u2019s leadership work?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A contentious outcome with Mr. Macron as president and the National Rally leader, Jordan Bardella, as prime minister is possible, under what France calls a cohabitation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">France\u2019s prime minister and cabinet are accountable to the lower house, and they determine the country\u2019s policies. But they are appointed by the president, who has extensive executive powers and is directly elected by the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Usually, the president and prime minister are politically aligned. (Every five years, France holds presidential and legislative elections within weeks of each other, making it likely that voters will support the same party twice.) But when the presidency and the National Assembly are at odds, the president has little choice but to appoint a prime minister from an opposing party \u2014 or someone lawmakers won\u2019t topple with a no-confidence vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Cohabitation has happened before, between mainstream left-wing and conservative leaders, from 1986 to 1988, 1993 to 1995, and 1997 to 2002. But a cohabitation between Mr. Macron, a pro-European centrist, and Mr. Bardella, a Euroskeptic nationalist, would be unprecedented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-6d9ab11d\">What if no one gets an absolute majority?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Polls suggest that a likely scenario is a lower house roughly divided into three blocs with conflicting agendas and, in some cases, deep animosity toward one another \u2014 the National Rally, the New Popular Front, and a reduced centrist alliance including Mr. Macron\u2019s Renaissance party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As it stands, no bloc appears able to find enough partners to form a majority, leaving Mr. Macron with limited options.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFrench political culture is not conducive to compromise,\u201d said Samy Benzina, a public law professor at the University of Poitiers, noting that France\u2019s institutions are designed to produce \u201cclear majorities that can govern on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt would be the first time in the Fifth Republic that a government could not be assembled for lack of a solid majority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some analysts and politicians have suggested that a broad cross-party coalition could stretch from the Greens to more moderate conservatives. But France is not accustomed to building coalitions, and several political leaders have ruled it out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Another possibility is a caretaker government that handles day-to-day business until there is a political breakthrough. But this, too, would be a departure from French tradition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If none of those solutions work, the country could be headed for months of political deadlock.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-30856409\">Will the vote end in violence?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The campaign, one of the shortest in France\u2019s modern history, was clouded by a tense atmosphere, racist incidents and acts of violence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One television news program <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cijizBNey5A\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">filmed a couple who support the National Rally hurling invectives at a Black neighbor<\/a>, telling her to \u201cgo to the doghouse.\u201d A television host of North African descent <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brut.media\/fr\/news\/le-journaliste-karim-rissouli-raconte-la-lettre-raciste-recue-chez-lui-9c097434-eff3-4928-8294-3dbeee5b160a\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">revealed<\/a> a racist letter he had received at his home. A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr\/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur\/vaucluse\/avignon\/des-tags-racistes-decouverts-sur-les-murs-d-une-boulangerie-incendiee-2994293.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">bakery in Avignon<\/a> was burned and covered in homophobic and racist tags.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">G\u00e9rald Darmanin, France\u2019s interior minister, said on Friday that over 50 people \u2014 candidates, their substitutes, or supporters \u2014 had been \u201cphysically assaulted\u201d during the campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There are fears that postelection protests will turn violent. The authorities have deployed about 30,000 security forces around the country, including about 5,000 in the Paris region, to deal with potential unrest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Catherine Porter<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/06\/world\/europe\/france-parliamentary-election-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voters in France will cast ballots on Sunday in the final round of snap legislative elections. The results could force President Emmanuel Macron to govern alongside far-right opponents or usher in chronic political instability weeks before the Paris Summer Olympics. Mr. Macron called the elections for the 577-seat National Assembly, France\u2019s lower and more prominent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/06\/multimedia\/06france-what-to-watch-fghw\/06france-what-to-watch-fghw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[50,7531,1146,5238,1493,11812],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89271,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269\/revisions\/89271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}