France is gearing up for one of its most polarizing elections in decades, with President Emmanuel Macron warning of potential “civil war.”
The country’s three main political camps are set to face off in a key TV debate on Tuesday night, ahead of the first round of parliamentary elections this Sunday.
The debate will feature Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally and Manuel Bompard representing the left-wing alliance France Unbowed.
The election comes on the heels of a European vote earlier this month, where Macron’s party suffered significant losses, prompting him to call for a snap election. Macron has vowed to remain president until the end of his second term in 2027 despite his party’s struggles. An Ifop poll shows the RN leading with 36 percent support, followed by the left-wing New Popular Front at 29.5 percent, and Macron’s camp at 20.5 percent. This has led to criticism from his allies, urging him to step back from the campaign.
The 28-year-old Bardella could become the first far-right prime minister in modern French history, though he has stipulated that he will only take the position if the RN secures an absolute majority in parliament. Macron, meanwhile, has accused both the RN and France Unbowed of fostering division, which he claims could lead to “civil war,” a statement that drew condemnation from both sides. Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN, dismissed Macron’s remarks as “weak” and indicative of his belief that he has already lost the election. Patrick Kanner, head of the centre-left Socialists in the Senate, stated that Macron’s comments showed he “no longer controls anything.”
There are doubts about whether Tuesday’s debate will shift the political landscape. A senior member of Macron’s team told AFP, “What debate? People have already chosen, it’s already crystallised. Maybe it can help us with the abstainers.” In a move against the far-right, about 200 socialist, environmentalist, and centrist figures published an open letter in Le Monde, urging all parties to unite against the RN in the second-round run-off on July 7.
Bardella and Attal have both requested that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of France Unbowed, replace Bompard in the debate. Mélenchon is a well-known but polarizing figure on the left due to his radical positions. Some within the left hope for a more moderate candidate for prime minister if they win. Marine Tondelier, leader of the Ecologist Party, emphasized, “Melenchon is not the leader of the New Popular Front and he will not be prime minister.” However, Mélenchon has not ruled himself out, claiming his name resonates in working-class areas.
In a sign of the shifting political landscape, the right-wing Republicans are notably absent from the debate. They have taken their case to the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court, to argue for their inclusion.
