French Elections

French Voters Keep Far-Right at Bay

Hollande Delivers Victory Speech

Joyful Voters Celebrate Narrow Election Win

Former French president and newly-elected Member of Parliament Francois Hollande delivered a victory speech following the first round of the parliamentary elections, held on Sunday, June 30. The results brought joy to French voters, who had once again kept the far-right out of power.

Three weeks after President Emmanuel Macron surprised the nation by calling snap elections, French voters returned to the polls on Sunday. Leaders of France's far-right National Rally attempted to maintain composure despite projected results from parliamentary elections showing that their party, RN, had secured 32% of the vote (37% with right-wing allies).

For more than 10 million voters, a taboo has been broken: the far-right has made significant gains in French politics. In Meaux, east of Paris, RN candidate Jordan Bardella celebrated his victory with supporters.