French Elections: Le Pen’s National Rally Claims Historic ‘Breakthrough’, Establishment Erodes, and Far-Left Alliances Flop
by Kurt Zindulka
The populist National Rally claimed a historic “breakthrough” for the party on Sunday’s French municipal elections, which saw major establishment figures fall by the wayside and the craven political partnerships made with the far-left prove toxic to voters.
Rassemblement National (RN) and its allies secured mayoral victories in at least 50 towns and cities across France during the two-round elections, which concluded on Sunday evening.
Although the populist party fell short in some contests, including the mayoralty in Marseilles, it successfully expanded its power base in regions such as Alsace, Carcassonne, Montargis, Orange, the Pyrénées, and Pas-de-Calais. The RN also notably flipped the municipality of La Flèche in Sarthe, which has been under socialist control for nearly four decades, Le Figaro reported.
Meanwhile, Éric Ciotti, the head of the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), which has aligned itself with the National Rally, won a key mayoral race in Nice, the fifth largest city in the country. Additionally, fellow UDR candidate Didier Lallemand won the race in Montauban.
National Rally President Jordan Bardella proclaimed Sunday saw “the biggest breakthrough in the entire history” of his party, while claiming that it represented a “turning point” against the “old world and disconnected politicians”.
“Never before have the RN and its allies had so many elected officials across France. In dozens of municipalities. We are called upon to prove ourselves,” Bardella said. However, he noted that “these successes are not an end, but a beginning,” as the National Rally looks towards next year’s presidential election.
Former RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen added: “Bravo to all our candidates, whatever the outcome in each municipality: they can be proud of the work accomplished, and tonight, dozens of RN mayors and thousands of RN municipal councillors are elected!”