New elections in France: When footballers become political

As of today, France is officially in the middle of an election campaign. Many fear the rise of the right – others long for it. Football star Mbappé has also spoken out.

Now even France’s football star Kilian Mbappé has got involved in this insanely short election campaign. At his team’s opening press conference in Düsseldorf on the occasion of the European Championship, the captain of the “Bleues” warned with a serious expression and very passionately that the extremists were on the threshold of power.

In this important situation, he called on all his compatriots, especially young people, to vote. “We must identify with our values, with social and cultural diversity, with tolerance and respect.” And with a view to the decisive second round of voting on July 7, he added:

The spokesman for the extreme right-wing Rassemblement National (RN), Laurent Jacobelli, welcomed Mbappé’s words and explained that his party could not be referred to as “extreme”. Mbappé was right. There were people in the country who wanted to divide. “Macronie did exactly that. And now the new left-wing alliance is out to divide,” Jacobelli explained on France Info.

Ping pong of accusations

Manuel Bompard, one of the candidates of the left-wing alliance Front Populaire, rejected these accusations in the morning, and then – like Jacobelli – pointed the finger at the camp around President Emmanuel Macron: “You can’t exactly say that Macron’s pension reform has united the country.”

Macron’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, on the other hand, warned on the radio station RTL this morning against being seduced by the programme of the others. He again declared that the extreme left was just as dangerous as the extreme right: “Both would be a catastrophe for the country – especially in terms of the social climate, because there would be conflict and division at all levels.”

Two rounds of voting, one hurdle

Meanwhile, all three major blocs – left, right, center – worked feverishly until Sunday night to put their camp in the best position with the best candidates for the first round of voting on June 30. There is a 12.5 percent hurdle. Only those who clear this hurdle will make it to the second and decisive round on July 7.

The polls, which should still be viewed with caution, predict that the RN will achieve a similarly good result in the first round as in the European elections, i.e. well over 30 percent. The left-wing alliance Front Populaire, which consists of the extreme left LFI, Socialists, Greens and Communists, would come in second place.

And the presidential party’s list would only come in third place. The conservative Republicans are starting the race badly hit. Their party leader Eric Ciotti announced an alliance with the RN last week without consulting anyone. Party bigwigs then tried in vain to depose him. Now the party is threatened with a split.

Pole position for the two rounds of voting

In order to strengthen the moderate forces in each of the 577 constituencies, the Macron list will not run everywhere. For example, if a conservative candidate has a better chance of making it to the second round, Ensemble pour la République will not put forward its own candidate.

The right-wing nationalists of Reconquête are pursuing a similar tactic. Although no official alliance with the strong RN has been formed, Reconquête is now refraining from putting up candidates to oppose the RN in some constituencies. They hope to strengthen the extreme right in this way.

The left-wing alliance Front Populaire presented its supporters with a desolate spectacle at the weekend: In the final stages, the party leadership refused to allow some experienced party soldiers to stand officially as candidates. They are all critics of the controversial spiritus rector of the left-wing extremist LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

A ray of hope for many left-wing voters is that the socialist and former president Francois Hollande has stood for election in his old constituency in Corrèze. The extraordinary situation calls for extraordinary decisions, Hollande said on Friday.

Election campaign hits Purchasing power

One of the most important issues at the start of the election campaign is purchasing power. Prime Minister Attal explained in an interview with RTL that the two extremes threaten a catastrophe in terms of the economy and employment. “Both are presenting an unfinanced program worth several hundred billion euros.” That would mean tax increases and thus a bloodletting for the middle class and pensioners, explained Attal.

However, the presidential party’s electoral coalition, which recently announced an increase in electricity prices and a 20 billion austerity package, is also moving away from its previous plans.

Instead, it is promising to reduce energy prices and also wants to increase the base for tax-free employee bonuses. The RN, in turn, is promising to reduce taxes on electricity and fuel. And the left-wing alliance is campaigning to increase the net minimum wage by a good 200 euros to 1,600 euros per month. The express election campaign is in full swing.