Ahead of France’s runoff election, President Emmanuel Macron and a left-wing coalition are attempting to thwart the far right by having at least 200 candidates withdraw, according to an AFP count on Tuesday.
This Sunday marks the crucial final round of snap legislative polls in France, initiated by Mr. Macron following his camp’s significant setback in last month’s European elections.
The opponents are banking on strategic withdrawals aimed at consolidating votes before the second round, aiming to thwart the far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen from securing an outright majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Before the registration deadline for the second round on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT), AFP reported that over 200 candidates, predominantly from the left-wing or Mr. Macron’s centrist camp, had withdrawn from the race.
Among the candidates opting to withdraw from the race, over 110 belong to the left-wing New Popular Front, while more than 70 hail from Mr. Macron’s camp.
According to a party official speaking to local media, a far-right candidate withdrew from the race due to an old social media post showing herself in a Nazi cap.
In the initial round on June 30th, the far-right party secured a win with over 10.6 million votes. Only 76 lawmakers, predominantly from the far right and left, were elected outright in this round.
The outcome of the remaining 501 seats will hinge on the second round, where run-offs between two or three candidates will decide the final results.
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