It is barely 10 p.m. this Sunday, June 30, 2024, when Pierre Smolarz consolidates Didier Le Gac’s chances of being re-elected deputy for the third constituency of Finistère next Sunday. He withdrew “to block the National Rally (RN)” when he could have maintained his position. With a heavy heart, the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) cannot help but recall that, according to him, the outgoing deputy “has contributed for all these years to the rise of the National Rally”. The latter qualifies for the first time for the second round in this constituency.
In fact, by coming clearly in the lead in rural Brest (38.9% of the votes), Didier Le Gac, the candidate of the presidential majority, is already heading towards his re-election in good conditions. Despite the strong rejection that President Macron seems to suffer, he resists: in 2017, he obtained 41.37% of the votes. This year, it is first in all municipalities outside Brest.
Finally a duel
The duel, instead of a triangular one, should therefore consolidate its lead: it is difficult to imagine the majority of NFP voters casting their votes for the far right. The RN also has no reserves: the Republicans had not, this time, nominated any candidate and the sharing of its electorate must have already taken place on Sunday.
It remains that the breakthrough of the RN in the European elections of June 9, 2024 (24% in Plouzané for Jordan Bardella, more than 26% in Saint-Renan, etc.) is confirmed in this first round of the legislative elections. Martine Donval thus collected 27.7% of the votes cast. But compared to the last legislative elections, two years ago, it more than doubles the score of Roger Abascq, who obtained 12.75%. And it tripled in number of votes, going from barely 6,000 to more than 18,000! In 2017, the FN Guy Léal obtained… 6.84%. All in a different national context, much stronger participation and without candidacy, therefore, on the right.
Pierre Smolarz (26.9%), for his part, did not achieve his objective by 553 votes: to be ahead of the RN in the first round. Two years ago, as a candidate for Nupes, he finished second with 29.18%. Having chosen two LFI (La France Insoumise) candidates to represent the NFP in this constituency undoubtedly cost the left second place. Didier Le Gac has also constantly said that this political label acts as a deterrent to part of the left-wing electorate he meets. Brest socialists also said this the day after the dissolution was announced. Yann Guével and Réza Salami were tempted to run but the national general staff decided otherwise.
