‘We are ready to govern’, French far-right National Rally’s Bardella says
In a television interview this morning, the French far-right National Rally’s Jordan Bardella argued his party is ready to govern, while noting that not everything the party wants to do would be possible while Emmanuel Macron is president.
But, he said, it would be possible to do things on issues such as security and migration.
Bardella also said he wants to build a majority that is as large as possible, and work with other political groups.
Macron called snap legislative elections after his allies performed poorly in the European elections on Sunday, while the far-right in France came in first place.
The National Rally took 31.37%, while Macron’s allies were at merely 14.6%.
Key events
The French far-right Reconquête’s Marion Maréchal said “the national camp no longer has the right to be divided.”
Face à la coalition de Macron et à celle de l’extrême gauche, le camp national n’a plus le droit d’être divisé.
À @Reconquete_off, nous avons toujours porté l’idée de l’union. Il n’est plus temps de dire mais de faire. #UnionNationale— Marion Maréchal (@MarionMarechal) June 11, 2024
A group of left-wing parties in France has come together ahead of the snap elections, and will run joint candidates.
Ursula von der Leyen in pole position as she tries to build majority to keep job
Ursula von der Leyen has begun trying to craft a majority for a second term as European Commission president, after major gains for the far right that are likely to mean a less stable European parliament.
Von der Leyen, a German Christian Democrat, was jubilant after her European People’s party (EPP) secured 186 of the 720 seats in the European elections, maintaining its 25-year hold as the largest group and leaving her a narrow path to a second term.
But she has been presented with a wild card: Emmanuel Macron’s bombshell decision to call snap elections after his Renaissance party came a dismal second to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in France.
Von der Leyen, the first woman to lead the commission, was the EPP’s lead candidate and remains in pole position. With the added uncertainty of French elections in the mix, she has to clear two hurdles. First she needs the backing of a qualified majority of EU leaders, then an absolute majority – 361 votes – in the new European parliament.
Read the full story here, by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Angela Giuffrida in Rome
‘We are ready to govern’, French far-right National Rally’s Bardella says
In a television interview this morning, the French far-right National Rally’s Jordan Bardella argued his party is ready to govern, while noting that not everything the party wants to do would be possible while Emmanuel Macron is president.
But, he said, it would be possible to do things on issues such as security and migration.
Bardella also said he wants to build a majority that is as large as possible, and work with other political groups.
Macron called snap legislative elections after his allies performed poorly in the European elections on Sunday, while the far-right in France came in first place.
The National Rally took 31.37%, while Macron’s allies were at merely 14.6%.
Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to the blog, where we will be looking today at reactions to the European elections and what comes next.
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