French National Rally supporters react with a mix of disappointment and determination to election re

(7 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vincennes, France – 7 July 2024
1. Various of far right National Rally party supporters reacting to results
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Ulysse Antoine Heller, 21,
student:
"The results were really exceptional in the first round. I was really thrilled to come here, but today was a bit of a defeat. Today, unfortunately, even if the first round was really an easy victory... but in my opinion, I think it's really due to the coalition of the right which wasn't really good. That's mostly it."
3. Supporter with French flag
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Luc Doumont, 66, pensioner:
“Disappointed, disappointed. Well, happy to see our progression, because for the past few years we’ve been doing better. Disappointed because we thought the 10 million votes that we had in the first round would come through in the second round, but all the front of all the parties against the National Rally did its work.”
5. Wide of supporters
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Julia Carrasco, 42, National Rally candidate in Boulogne-Billancourt:
"In fact, in two years, we've almost tripled the score. So I think we're really getting something going. It's a bit of a shame that it wasn't this evening, but we can't be sure that we won't be voting again in a year's time. Because if dissolving the assembly seemed a good idea, we don't really know."
7. People drinking champagne
8. SOUNDBITE (French) Nicolas Nunez, 22, National Rally deputy candidate in the Seine-et-Marne department:
“For us it’s not looking so good, but on the national level it’s pretty good, we have more lawmakers than in 2022, we’re rather happy. It's the result of all our hard work because as activists, we had the European elections just before (the parliamentary elections). It was very complicated, it was a flash campaign, usually we have a lot more time to prepare the campaign. We had to open up bank accounts, put up electoral posters, flyers. Getting them printed is a lot of work. So there you have it, we may not have an absolute majority, at least for the moment that's not what's planned, but in any case we're very happy with what's happening."
9. Wide of National Rally supporters
STORYLINE:
A coalition of the French left that quickly banded together to beat a surging far right in legislative elections won the most seats in parliament but not a majority, according to polling projections Sunday, a stunning outcome that threatens to plunge the country into political and economic turmoil.

The projections put President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in second, no longer in control of parliament, and the bruised far right in third.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party and a protégé of Marine Le Pen, who had been hoping to become prime minister saw his hopes dashed by Sunday's result.

Party supporters expressed a mix of emotions.

"Happy to see our progression, because for the past few years we’ve been doing better," said Luc Doumont, 66, a pensioner on hearing the results.

"Disappointed because we thought the 10 million votes that we had in the first round would come through in the second round."

With no bloc securing a clear majority, France faces uncertainty that could rattle markets and its economy, the European Union's second-largest, and cast a shadow of political instability over the Paris Olympics opening in less than three weeks.


It does not appear to have paid off for the deeply unpopular president.

Projections forecast that his alliance would no longer be the largest single group in parliament, possibly by a long way.







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