President Emmanuel Macron warns that far-right and hard-left political extremes remain a threat to France ahead of the second round of mayoral elections.
PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron has warned that political extremists from both the far right and hard left remain a danger to France ahead of the second round of mayoral elections, according to government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.
Speaking after a government meeting, Bregeon relayed the centrist president’s first public comments since Sunday’s first round of municipal votes, stating that “extremes, wherever they may be, remain a danger to the republic”.
The anti-immigration far-right National Rally (RN) and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party both scored gains in the first round, highlighting voter disillusionment with mainstream parties.
In a notable gain, an LFI-Communist alliance won in the Paris working-class suburb of Saint-Denis, while the far right performed strongly in several southern cities.
The RN’s candidate is leading far ahead in the Mediterranean port of Toulon, which if captured would be the largest city under RN control to date.
Left-wing candidates in Paris and second-largest city Marseille have rejected an alliance with LFI following the fatal beating last month of a far-right activist blamed on the hard left and accusations against LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon of antisemitic remarks.
However, some leftists have joined forces with LFI representatives to boost their chances in the second-round runoff, as RN chief Jordan Bardella urged centre-right politicians to join forces citing “the risk of a victory for the left and the far left”.
The two-round mayoral races are closely watched for signs of the political mood and patterns of tactical alliances ahead of next year’s pivotal presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.
