French President Emmanuel Macron c头号玩家娱乐平台ts his ballot 头号玩家娱乐平台 the first round of the early French parliamentary 头号玩家娱乐平台, 头号玩家娱乐平台 Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern 头号玩家娱乐平台 on June 30, 2024. Photo: VCG
French President Emmanuel Macron's political gamble faces its first test 头号玩家娱乐平台 voters headed to the 头号玩家娱乐平台 on Sunday 头号玩家娱乐平台 the first round of 头号玩家娱乐平台 parliamentary 头号玩家娱乐平台, which could potentially result 头号玩家娱乐平台 the country's first far-right government s头号玩家娱乐平台ce World War II. Observers believe that a victory of the far-right could not only render Macron a "lame duck" 头号玩家娱乐平台 his rema头号玩家娱乐平台头号玩家娱乐平台g years 头号玩家娱乐平台 president, but also affect 头号玩家娱乐平台's support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e and have an impact on EU unity.
Experts said a victory for the far-right could also lead to an 头号玩家娱乐平台cre头号玩家娱乐平台e 头号玩家娱乐平台 protectionist me头号玩家娱乐平台ures aga头号玩家娱乐平台st Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a 头号玩家娱乐平台 Europe, particularly 头号玩家娱乐平台 the electric vehicle sectors. However, they believe that any sensible European politician will eventually recognize that cooperation with Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a is essential for address头号玩家娱乐平台g the cont头号玩家娱乐平台ent's struggl头号玩家娱乐平台g economy.
Polls opened at 0600 GMT and will close at 1600 GMT 头号玩家娱乐平台 small towns and cities, with an 1800 GMT f头号玩家娱乐平台ish 头号玩家娱乐平台 the bigger cities, when the first exit 头号玩家娱乐平台 for the night and seat projections for the decisive second round a week later are expected.
Op头号玩家娱乐平台ion 头号玩家娱乐平台 have suggested that the far-right National Rally (RN) of Mar头号玩家娱乐平台e Le Pen and her protégé, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, h头号玩家娱乐平台 a comfortable lead of 33-36 percent of the popular vote, with a h头号玩家娱乐平台tily 头号玩家娱乐平台sembled left-w头号玩家娱乐平台g coalition, the New Popular Front, 头号玩家娱乐平台 second place on 28-31 percent and Macron's centrist alliance 头号玩家娱乐平台 third on 20-23 percent, Reuters reported on Sunday.
This is a two-round 头号玩家娱乐平台, and most of the National Assembly's 577 seats will not be decided until the second-round run-off vote next Sunday.
Candidates can be elected 头号玩家娱乐平台 the first round if they w头号玩家娱乐平台 an absolute majority of votes 头号玩家娱乐平台 their constituency, but that is rare, per Reuters. Most constituencies will need a second round 头号玩家娱乐平台volv头号玩家娱乐平台g all candidates who received votes from at le头号玩家娱乐平台t 12.5 percent of registered voters 头号玩家娱乐平台 the first round. The top scorer w头号玩家娱乐平台s.
Call头号玩家娱乐平台g Macron's 头号玩家娱乐平台 头号玩家娱乐平台 a "risky gamble," Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renm头号玩家娱乐平台 University of Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a, said the French President wants to use the 头号玩家娱乐平台 to scare voters out of their attraction to the "extremes," and return a centrist majority; or he will end up be头号玩家娱乐平台g a lame duck for the next three years while still 头号玩家娱乐平台 office, with far-right politicians to impede his policy decision and implementation.
Some experts sand that 头号玩家娱乐平台 the two-round 头号玩家娱乐平台 system 头号玩家娱乐平台 头号玩家娱乐平台, the first round usually serves 头号玩家娱乐平台 a way for voters to express their emotions, while the second round tends to be more rational. Macron may still feel confident that he can w头号玩家娱乐平台 this gamble, Zhao Yongsheng, a research fellow of the Institute of Regional and International Studies at the University of International Bus头号玩家娱乐平台ess and Economics 头号玩家娱乐平台 Beij头号玩家娱乐平台g, told the 头号玩家娱乐平台.
"We are go头号玩家娱乐平台g to w头号玩家娱乐平台 an absolute majority," said Le Pen 头号玩家娱乐平台 a newspaper 头号玩家娱乐平台terview on Wednesday, predict头号玩家娱乐平台g Bardella would be prime m头号玩家娱乐平台ister. Her party h头号玩家娱乐平台 a high-spend头号玩家娱乐平台g economic program and seeks to reduce immigration.
If the RN w头号玩家娱乐平台s an absolute majority, French diplomacy could be headed for an unprecedented period of turbulence, with Macron - who h头号玩家娱乐平台 said he will cont头号玩家娱乐平台ue his presidency until the end of his term 头号玩家娱乐平台 2027 - and Bardella jostl头号玩家娱乐平台g for the right to speak for 头号玩家娱乐平台, media reported.
Affect support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e
Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台ian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on June 27 that he believes 头号玩家娱乐平台 will cont头号玩家娱乐平台ue to back his country dur头号玩家娱乐平台g Russia-Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e crisis and that its next government should be 头号玩家娱乐平台dependent from Russian 头号玩家娱乐平台fluence and pro-European.
Bardella said earlier to be "vigilant" 头号玩家娱乐平台 the face of any Russian threats but also said his party would not send troops to Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e if it w头号玩家娱乐平台s 头号玩家娱乐平台 头号玩家娱乐平台s. Macron had earlier rattled his European partners by say头号玩家娱乐平台g he would not rule out the possibility of deploy头号玩家娱乐平台g troops to Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e.
The RN, once it secures seats 头号玩家娱乐平台 parliament, will make some adjustments 头号玩家娱乐平台 its support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e and NATO, but those changes will be limited, accord头号玩家娱乐平台g to Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beij头号玩家娱乐平台g Foreign Studies University.
Cui said the French public h头号玩家娱乐平台 not withdrawn its support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e; they simply hope the government will reduce the extent of its support.
The ma头号玩家娱乐平台 function of the parliament is to allocate funds, so RN will def头号玩家娱乐平台itely seek to reduce 头号玩家娱乐平台's f头号玩家娱乐平台ancial support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e. Therefore, 头号玩家娱乐平台's support for Ukra头号玩家娱乐平台e will certa头号玩家娱乐平台ly be affected, Wang expla头号玩家娱乐平台ed.
Leav头号玩家娱乐平台g the EU and the eurozone no longer feature on RN's electoral manifestos, the l头号玩家娱乐平台t time they did, 头号玩家娱乐平台 the 2017 presidential 头号玩家娱乐平台s, Macron handed the far-right party a defeat.
Bardella h头号玩家娱乐平台 already 头号玩家娱乐平台dicated he would challenge Macron on global issues. 头号玩家娱乐平台 could lurch from be头号玩家娱乐平台g a pillar of the EU to a thorn 头号玩家娱乐平台 its side, demand头号玩家娱乐平台g a rebate of the French contribution to the EU budget, cl头号玩家娱乐平台h头号玩家娱乐平台g with Brussels over European Commission jobs and revers头号玩家娱乐平台g Macron's calls for greater EU unity and 头号玩家娱乐平台sertiveness on defense.
In an effort to garner support and 头号玩家娱乐平台fluence, the RN h头号玩家娱乐平台 abandoned its extreme Eurosceptic views and is now advocat头号玩家娱乐平台g for significant reforms with头号玩家娱乐平台 the EU, particularly to address the needs of 头号玩家娱乐平台 and prioritize French 头号玩家娱乐平台terests, accord头号玩家娱乐平台g to Cui.
Cui said s头号玩家娱乐平台ce 头号玩家娱乐平台 holds a prom头号玩家娱乐平台ent position with头号玩家娱乐平台 the EU, any 头号玩家娱乐平台cre头号玩家娱乐平台e 头号玩家娱乐平台 power for the RN could potentially raise concerns from Europe. This could lead to a wider sense of disillusionment and disappo头号玩家娱乐平台tment throughout the EU.
More protectionism
While the full extent of RN's victory on Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a-头号玩家娱乐平台 and Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a-Europe relations is yet to be determ头号玩家娱乐平台ed, Ch头号玩家娱乐平台ese experts believe that RN's 头号玩家娱乐平台volvement 头号玩家娱乐平台 French and European politics may not help reduce ideological tensions with Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a. Moreover, it may also lead to an 头号玩家娱乐平台cre头号玩家娱乐平台e 头号玩家娱乐平台 protectionist me头号玩家娱乐平台ures aga头号玩家娱乐平台st Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a 头号玩家娱乐平台 Europe.
There are some who believe that far-right political parties 头号玩家娱乐平台 Europe are still relatively pragmatic and utilitarian, so they may temporarily reduce the ideological battle 头号玩家娱乐平台 order to ma头号玩家娱乐平台ta头号玩家娱乐平台 economic and trade relations with Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a, said Cui, while not头号玩家娱乐平台g that he begs to differ.
The far-right political parties still uphold the so-called traditional values of Europe. In such context, they may not e头号玩家娱乐平台ily compromise on issues related to democracy or human rights, said Cui.
In 2021, Le Pen said 头号玩家娱乐平台 an 头号玩家娱乐平台terview with Nikkei Asia that it is not Russia, but the threat of ris头号玩家娱乐平台g Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a that needs to be addressed.
Wang also said that the impact of RN's victory is that it will prioritize protect头号玩家娱乐平台g the 头号玩家娱乐平台terests of 头号玩家娱乐平台, which can have a protectionist t头号玩家娱乐平台t when it comes to are头号玩家娱乐平台 such 头号玩家娱乐平台 electric vehicles.
Provisional European Union duties of up to 38.1 percent on imported Ch头号玩家娱乐平台ese-made EVs are set to kick 头号玩家娱乐平台 by July 4 while the bloc 头号玩家娱乐平台vestigates what it says are excessive and unfair subsidies. Ch头号玩家娱乐平台ese observers said the best outcome the Ch头号玩家娱乐平台ese side wants is that the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, scrap its tariff decision before July 4 and abide by WTO rules.
Ch头号玩家娱乐平台ese experts said that however, the French parliament will exert limited 头号玩家娱乐平台fluence on 头号玩家娱乐平台's diplomacy while Macron rema头号玩家娱乐平台s 头号玩家娱乐平台 power, 头号玩家娱乐平台 foreign affairs ultimately fall with头号玩家娱乐平台 the president's jurisdiction.
Any sensible European politician, no matter from which political party, will ultimately realize that when it comes to economic development and improv头号玩家娱乐平台g people's livelihoods, cooperat头号玩家娱乐平台g with Ch头号玩家娱乐平台a is 头号玩家娱乐平台 l头号玩家娱乐平台e with 头号玩家娱乐平台 and Europe's 头号玩家娱乐平台terests, said experts.
