French politics is a balancing act that makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
After the round of the mayoral elections big parties like the Socialists and the centre-right Republicans are facing some tough decisions. In cities they can only win the second round if they team up with parties that are really far apart from them: either the far-right National Rally or the far-left France Unbowed.. Teaming up with these parties can be bad for them because it can make people question their values.
Lets look at Marseille. The current Socialist mayor, Benoît Payan is a little bit ahead of the National Rally candidate, Franck Allisio. There are also two candidates, Martine Vassal from the Republicans and Sébastien Delogu from France Unbowed who are still in the running. Now people are wondering: should the Socialists work with France Unbowed to win?. Should the Republicans work with the National Rally? These moves might work in terms of strategy. They are also very risky.
Something similar is happening in Paris. The Socialist candidate, Emmanuel Grégoire did well in the round but France Unboweds Sophia Chikirou is also moving on to the next stage. Grégoire has said clearly that he will not work with France Unbowed even if it means he might lose the election. At the time his main opponent, Rachida Dati from the right is also refusing to work with the far-right candidate, Sarah Knafo. Without those votes her position is also uncertain.
In the past, this problem mostly affected the right because most parties refused to work with the far-right National Rally. Now things are changing: other parties are also pushing away the far-left France Unbowed. Know More
This change did not happen suddenly. Although France Unbowed had worked with the Socialists, Greens and Communists in the past. And did well in the 2024 elections that alliance has fallen apart. There have been controversies surrounding France Unbowed including an incident in Lyon and criticism of its leader. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, which have made many parties wary of working with them.
The situation is not simple. While the Socialist leader, Olivier Faure has said that there will be no national-level alliance with France Unbowed he has left the door open for deals. In fact in Toulouse the Socialists and France Unbowed have already worked together to try to defeat a wing candidate.
Not surprisingly the right is criticizing the left for being hypocritical. The left on the hand is accusing the right of being too comfortable with the far-right. The debate is getting. The tone is becoming increasingly bitter. Read More
All of this shows that French politics is becoming more divided. The influence of parties, on the left and far-right is growing and mainstream parties are being squeezed in the middle. They have to choose between staying true to their values and staying competitive.
If this is what is happening in local elections it raises a bigger question: what will happen when the country has its next presidential election?
