French Conservatives Consider Working With Far Right

Eric Ciotti, leader of France’s Republicans Party, said on June 11 that he would be willing to work with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in the upcoming snap French elections. Such an alliance would break a long-standing taboo and is part of the Europe-wide swing toward the political right.

We say the same things, so let’s stop making up imagined opposition. This is what the vast majority of our voters want. They’re telling us, “Reach a deal.”
—Eric Ciotti

Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally and a strong candidate for France’s next prime minister, said his party would support “several dozen” current Republican members of Parliament in the election, confirming the alliance.

The announcement comes just after the National Rally won more than double the votes of French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in European Parliament elections, which prompted Macron to call for a snap election on June 30 and July 7.

Rightward shift: National Rally is expected to win the most votes in the upcoming election, but polls show it is unlikely to receive enough to rule on its own. Since Macron dissolved Parliament, parties on the left and right have discussed forming an alliance.

For decades, French politicians have maintained a policy of cordon sanitaire—a total refusal to work with Le Pen and the party she leads. The Republicans’ willingness to partner with the far right shows that the French, like so many other Europeans, are increasingly dissatisfied with their current government.

The Trumpet has long warned that Europe will undergo a dramatic political shift as its people search for a stronger and more confident leader.

Learn more: Read “Europe’s Altered Personality.”