200 Candidates Withdraw from French Runoff Election to Block Far Right

At least 200 candidates have withdrawn from France’s upcoming runoff election as President Emmanuel Macron and a left-wing coalition work together to prevent the far-right from gaining power, according to an AFP report on Tuesday.

This Sunday, France will vote in the final round of the legislative elections that President Macron called after his party suffered a significant loss in the European elections last month.

The opposing parties are hoping that by strategically withdrawing candidates, they can consolidate votes and stop Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party from winning an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly.

By Tuesday’s 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) deadline for second-round registration, at least 200 candidates had already stepped down. Most of these candidates were from the left-wing or President Macron’s centrist camp, as reported by AFP.

Among those who have quit the race, over 110 are from the left-wing New Popular Front, and more than 70 are from President Macron’s camp.

Additionally, a far-right candidate withdrew due to an old social media post showing her wearing a Nazi cap, according to a party official who spoke to local media.

In the first round on June 30, the far-right party achieved a significant victory, securing more than 10.6 million votes.

Only 76 lawmakers, mostly from the far right and left, were elected outright in the first round.

The remaining 501 seats will be decided in the second round through run-offs between the remaining two or three candidates.