According to German politician and France expert Franziska Brantner, young people’s votes could be decisive in the second round of the parliamentary elections in France.
Many are disappointed in the president Emmanuel Macronsaid Brantner, a member of parliament in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, and also an alternate member of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly, in an interview with public radio Deutschlandfunk on Monday.
It now depends on whether the young people who voted for the left-wing alliance in the first round on Sunday are still willing to support a candidate from Macron’s alliance.
“Whether the mobilization works here, I think, is one of the big issues for next Sunday,” she noted.
After the first round of early parliamentary elections, Marine Le Pen’s far-right nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) and its allies are ahead with 33% to 34.2% of the vote.
President Macron’s centrist Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by his Renaissance party, came third with 20.7% to 22%, behind the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) alliance with 28.1% to 29.1%.
However, the number of seats the blocs will receive in the National Assembly will only be decided in the second round of the elections next Sunday.
Both the left-wing alliance and Macron’s bloc have indicated that they will step down in constituencies where they came third, in favor of candidates who can defeat Rassemblement National.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal warned on Sunday evening: “The far right is in power… Our goal is clear: prevent the RN from being elected in the second round.”
A challenge for the center-left camp is that there is no figurehead, Brantner said.
“The parties have managed to form an alliance in such a short time, but have not yet agreed on a single leader or a common agenda. That is a challenge at a time like this.”
Before the second round of voting, parties can still form local alliances that could influence the election outcome.
Candidates who win an absolute majority in their constituency in the first round are elected to the assembly. In most constituencies, however, the winner does not emerge until after the second round on Sunday.
