As of: 27.06.2021 9:07 p.m.
The regional elections are seen as a test of the mood for the presidential election next year – but they met with little interest from the French. Both President Macron and challenger Le Pen have suffered losses.
In the decisive second round of the regional elections in France, the party of right-wing populist Marine Le Pen, Rassemblement National (RN), was not able to win a single region according to an extrapolation.
In the particularly competitive southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, the RN candidate Thierry Mariani only got a good 42 percent, as reported by the TV station France 2. The bourgeois-conservative applicant Renaud Muselier therefore achieved more than 57 percent. The two politicians were the only remaining applicants in the final round.
Failure for both Macron and Le Pen in regional elections
Friederike Hofmann, ARD Paris, daily topics 9:50 p.m., June 27, 2021
The Le Pen party, formerly known as the Front National, has never managed to conquer a region in France. Le Pen wanted to use a success in the south as a springboard for the national election campaign. The presidential elections in France will take place in ten months.
Damper for Macron, tailwind for Bertrand
Le Pen is not the only loser in the regional elections: According to the extrapolation, head of state Emmanuel Macron also suffered a setback. The remaining candidates of his liberal party LREM (La République en Marche) ended up in the lower places. The comparatively young party is hardly anchored in the regions. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal spoke of a “disappointment”.
On the other hand, the conservative politician Xavier Bertrand, who is also considered a possible presidential candidate in the coming year, received tailwind. In the Hauts-de-France region in the north, the center-right list led by Betrand was forecasting a clear election victory.
Overall, according to the first projections, the regions remain predominantly in the hands of the bourgeois right and left. Like the first round last Sunday, the second round of regional elections was marked by a significantly lower turnout than six years ago.
First forecasts of the regional elections in France
Linda Schildbach, ARD Paris, June 27, 2021 10:16 p.m.