Exit polls revealed that the French far right failed to win any region in Sunday’s elections, denying Marine Le Pen a chance to prove her party is ready for power ahead next year’s presidential elections.
Although the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA had been viewed as the Rassemblement National party’s best chance to secure its first-ever regional power base in the far-right Rassemblement National party, parties from both the left and right united in a “republicanfront” to keep it out.
His party did not win a single regional election in what was also a shameful night for President Emmanuel Macron. A government source stated that although a reshuffle is unlikely, some adjustments are possible.
Initial exit polls conducted by Opinionway and IFOP in Provence showed that the incumbent conservatives won by a margin close to 10 points in the runoff vote.
Le Pen stated to supporters that “this evening we won’t win in any regional because incumbents entered into unnatural allies and did everything they could to prevent us from showing France our ability to lead a regional government.”
After nearly two thirds of voters abstained, Le Pen lashed out at the government for having a badly organized vote.
These results raise questions about how successful Le Pen’s strategy to soften the image of her euroskeptic, anti-immigration party to try and get into the traditional right vote was.
Analysts disagree that the failure of Le Pen’s party in two strongholds to win should be attributed to next year’s presidential election.
Exit polls revealed that Macron’s ruling party failed to win any of France’s 13 regions.
Its poor performance shows how Macron’s party failed to establish itself at local level. The “la macronie”, wave that brought him to power revolves around Macron.
Macron was left facing a narrower path for reelection next election after Macron’s regional vote defeat. The center-right had a comeback, raising the possibility of a three way race.
After a win in the north, Conservative Xavier Bertrand established his position as the center-right’s best hope of challenging Macron or Le Pen with a more-than 25-point lead over the far right.
He portrayed himself as the defender for the French, who “can’t afford to make ends meet”, and the strongest bulwark of the far right.
Bertrand stated to supporters that the far-right had been “stopped in its tracks” and that they had pushed it back hard just moments after closing of the polls.
Bertrand stated, referring to next year’s elections, “This result gives my strength to seek out the nation’s vote.”
Valerie Pecresse, a regional leader in the greater Paris area, was reelected on Sunday. She was previously seen as a potential candidate for 2022. She spoke out to support Bertrand, according to observers.
Senior conservatives remarked that the center-right’s strong performance across the country meant that it was the most effective force for change.
According to pollsters, 35% of respondents were present. Voters are often not connected to their regional administrations, which are responsible for transport, economic development, and high school education.
Parisian Jean-Jacques said that he had no plans to vote today because he has lost faith in the politicians. He was walking along with one of the River Seine’s bridges at the time.