In the regional elections in France, the right-wing populists around Marine Le Pen suffered significant losses. Macron’s party also disappointed. At around 30 percent, voter turnout was lower than ever before.
The French right-wing populists from Marine Le Pen had a hangover, the conservatives cheered: in the first round of regional elections on Sunday, the middle-class camp was the strongest party with around 28 percent of the vote. Le Pen’s party came in second with 19 percent. The 52-year-old attributed this to the fact that the record number of a good two thirds of those eligible to vote stayed away from the votes.
For the runoff elections on Sunday, Le Pen issued the slogan: “All patriots to the polls”. The elections in the regions and the smaller departments are the last test of sentiment before the 2022 presidential election. Conservative candidates now sense chances of beating Head of State Emmanuel Macron in the coming year.
Conservative party Les Républicains on the up
Its party La République en Marche (LREM, The Republic on the Move) could not prevail in any region. With around eleven percent of the vote, she only landed fifth behind the socialists and the Greens.
The conservative party Les Républicains (The Republicans) of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy claimed victory in the first round. The Republicans have become “by far the party with the most votes,” stressed their chairman Christian Jacob. According to his information, the Republicans even prevailed with around 40 percent in the departmental elections. At the same time Jacob attested the presidential party an “unprecedented defeat”.
“Unprecedented Defeat” for Macron Party
Conservative regional presidents defended their majorities in six of the 13 central French regions, including the Ile de France region in Paris and the Grand Est region bordering Germany.
However, the winners of the first round also include moderate conservatives such as the presidential candidate Xavier Bertrand, who should be confirmed as president of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. He had left the Republicans out of disappointment at a course that was too right-wing.
Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN, National Collection Movement) was only in the southern French region of Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur, with cities like Nice, just ahead of the previously ruling conservatives. In the previous regional elections in 2015, it had won six of the 13 central French regions in the first round and had become the strongest force with 28 percent of the vote.
Left support for conservatives in the runoff election
In the runoff election in the Provence region next Sunday, politicians from the left-wing camp want to support the conservatives against Le Pen’s party. Such a “republican front” had already prevented the far right party from winning a single region six years ago. The socialists can hope for a victory in five regions in the second round.
With the poor performance of the National Collection Movement, the former Front National, the question of Le Pen’s political future arises: It wants to challenge Macron in the presidential election next spring. The 52-year-old emphasized that the elections were a “deceptive picture” because of the low turnout. However, Le Pen’s party had always taken advantage of its low participation.
Historically low voter turnout
More than two-thirds of voters in France stayed away from the vote, the highest level in such a poll in the post-war period. The disinterest of the young voters was particularly great. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal attributed this to the corona pandemic.
However, the infection situation had eased significantly beforehand. The elections therefore coincided with a relaxation of the corona requirements. Monday night was the first without curfews in France in almost eight months.
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