France’s Right Wing Wins First Round of Elections, Macron’s Centrist Alliance Finishes Third

France’s far-right National Rally (NR) party won 33% of the vote in the nation’s first round of snap elections on Sunday, posing a direct threat to President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership.

The Details: Led by Marine Le Pen, NR’s surge pushed Macron’s Ensemble alliance to third place, also behind the left-wing New Popular Front coalition. France will vote again in a second and final round on July 7, where NR will seek a parliamentary majority.

For Context: This election was called by Macron after France’s far-right triumphed in the European parliamentary elections earlier in June and was viewed by many as risky. Macron has three years remaining in his presidential term, but a far-right win would leave him in an awkward partnership with NR’s president Jordan Bardella as France’s Prime Minister. NR needs to win an absolute parliamentary majority in the second round of elections; otherwise, it will face difficulties in passing its desired reforms – which include tax cuts and tightening of immigration.

European Nuances: In parliamentary systems, incumbent parties can call a snap election to capitalize on momentum or face a pressing political issue. In European politics, “far-right” is a term largely used to describe parties to the right of center-right and is not nearly as subjective as the term is in American political discourse.

How The Media Covered It: The story was widely covered by American media. Outlets across the spectrum described NR as “anti-immigration” and Sunday’s outcome as historic.