France holds breath ahead of uncertain runoff vote
PARIS—France’s tense election campaign was on hold on Saturday on the eve of the final vote, but thoughts were turning to an uncertain future before polling even opens.
The traditional final day pause ahead of Sunday’s second round runoff will do nothing to soothe fears of stalemate and stagnation in France, a world power and pillar of the EU.
Final opinion polls on Friday suggested that far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) would fall short of winning an outright majority in the National Assembly.
But President Emmanuel Macron’s gamble in calling snap elections to force a choice between his centrist path and the extremes of left and right has not paid off.
He now faces the final three years of his presidency with no clear ruling majority, and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal perhaps trying to hold together a caretaker government.
According to pollsters Ipsos and Ifop, anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN could secure 170 to 210 seats in the National Assembly—well short of 289, an absolute majority.
The Ipsos Talan poll for Le Monde, Radio France and France Televisions has the RN coming in just ahead of left-wing alliance the New Popular Front, on between 145 and 175 seats.Outright win?
Both the far-right and left-wing groups come in well ahead of an estimated 118 to 148 for Macron’s centrist allies, who held 250 seats in the outgoing parliament.
French voters could therefore go to bed on Sunday night with no idea who might be able to form and lead a government, or whether a weakened Attal will shoulder on.
Le Pen insists that she is still on course for victory and an absolute majority that would force Macron to appoint her 28-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella prime minister.
