The French right-wing National Rally party, formerly led by Marine Le Pen, has reached its highest popularity level ahead of a snap election, according to a newly released poll. President Emmanuel Macron called the vote earlier this month, following his own party’s poor showing in the European Parliamentary election.
The first of two rounds of voting to decide the makeup of the French legisalture will be held on Sunday.
On Friday, Radio Classique revealed the findings of its LegiTrack OpinionWay survey, concluding that the “National Rally is now at its highest in voting intentions since the start of this express campaign, at 37%, and has gained 2 points in one week.”
According to the media outlet, contenders from the left-wing New Popular Front alliance enjoy the support of 28% voters, while President Macron’s centrist alliance trails at 20%.
Le Pen was for years the leader of the National Rally (formerly National Front), and has run for president on three occasions. A vocal critic of the Macron government’s domestic and foreign policy, she now leads the party’s faction in parliament. The current party leader is 28-year-old Jordan Bardella.
The survey also indicated that nearly half of respondents do not expect any party to secure a majority in the National Assembly, believing that ‘cohabitation’ – meaning a prime minister and president from opposing factions – is a likely outcome.
In an interview with Le Figaro earlier this month, Le Pen said she would not seek the immediate ouster of President Macron from office should the National Rally win the parliamentary vote. The veteran politician cited her desire to avoid “institutional chaos,” predicting that “there will simply be cohabitation.”
She accused the head of state of wreaking havoc on France's public services and immigration system, and of destabilizing the political system.
President Macron, meanwhile, claimed on Monday that a victory for either the far-right or the far-left, whom he dismissed as extremists, could lead to civil war in France. He insisted that only his centrist alliance can prevent the country from going over that precipice.
A week earlier, business daily Les Echos, citing an opinion poll, reported that the French president’s approval rating had plummeted to a low not seen since the start of his second five-year term in May 2022, standing at just 24%.
Snap elections for France’s lower house of parliament will be conducted in two rounds, on June 30 and July 7.