French President Emmanuel Macron faced strong criticism on Tuesday for his warning that a victory by the far-right or hard-left in snap polls could lead to a “civil war”. His opponents urged him to refrain from instilling fear in the public.
France is gearing up for a highly polarizing election on Sunday, which is being considered as one of the most divisive in decades. Macron called for these parliamentary polls after the far-right National Rally achieved a resounding victory in the European Parliament elections earlier this month.
The upcoming election is shaping up to be a showdown between the far-right RN and the left-wing New Popular Front, which is predominantly led by the hard-left France Unbowed.
On Monday, Macron cautioned that the agendas of these two “extremes” could potentially ignite a “civil war”, accusing both the RN and France Unbowed of fueling tensions and dividing the people.
Leaders from both the left and right condemned his statements. Eric Ciotti, the leader of the conservative Republicans (LR), who caused outrage among allies by personally agreeing to an election pact with the RN, accused the French president of acting irresponsibly.
“This is a fear-based strategy,” he stated during an interview on BFMTV-RMC. Marine Le Pen, a prominent figure in the RN, dismissed Macron’s argument as “weak” and suggested that he believed he had already lost the election.
Patrick Kanner, the head of the Socialists in the Senate, interpreted Macron’s remarks as a sign that he was fighting for his own political survival. “We are dealing with someone who no longer has control over anything,” Kanner remarked.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of France Unbowed, also criticized Macron, stating on Monday night, “He is always there to ignite conflicts.” The three main political camps – left, far-right, and center – are scheduled to participate in a crucial televised debate on Tuesday evening.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal from Macron’s centrist Renaissance party will face off against far-right RN party leader Bardella and Manuel Bompard from the left-wing New Popular Front. Some polls have indicated that the RN could secure 35-36 percent of the vote in the first round on Sunday, with the left-wing alliance following closely at 27-29.5 percent, and Macron’s centrists coming in third place with 19.5-22 percent.
A runoff election is scheduled for July 7 in districts where no candidate secures over 50 percent of the vote in the initial round.
