Only a few days left before the second round of the legislative elections. If the RN came out on top in the first round, Jordan Bardella is aiming for an absolute majority in the Assembly. So for that, the activists went back into the streets on Monday to hand out leaflets and try to convince.
“I need an absolute majority.” This is the message that Jordan Bardella sent on Monday evening on TF1. He is asking the French to vote massively for the National Rally next Sunday in the legislative elections to reach the threshold of 289 deputies. He made it a condition for being Prime Minister. The far-right party won 33.1% of the votes in the first round (10.6 million votes), and 39 deputies have already been elected.
And the National Rally wave is being felt almost everywhere in France, with entire departments or almost entire departments that could swing. This is the case of Bouches-du-Rhône. Out of the 16 constituencies, the RN is leading in 14 of them. The department has six outgoing deputies, including one re-elected in the first round.
The RN candidates in the department are trying to solidify their lead, to swell the ranks in the Assembly next week. And in this final stretch, the leaflets are coming thick and fast for Nathalie in Aix-en-Provence.
“There is a historical issue at stake, so we absolutely must try to reach out even more to people who are perhaps still a little undecided,” she says.
To validate the election of their candidate on Sunday, these RN activists are targeting urban areas, where the first round score is lower. However, during the distribution, the few people who stop are often already convinced. “We have to test everything to get back on track,” confides one voter. “We have to hammer the point home, but unfortunately every time in the first round there are good results and in the second round everyone mobilizes to counter this party and I think that’s a shame,” says another.
“This time it’s possible”
And that is the case here. The presidential candidate is withdrawing in favor of the New Popular Front. But this time, the barrier will not work, according to Nicolas, a long-time RN activist.
“They are going against the ideas of a majority of French people. It can’t always work to scare people. Voters are beginning to understand that this time, it’s possible,” he insists.
There is the prospect of an absolute majority in the assembly, but the activists’ first campaign argument is the local aspect and the candidate’s establishment in the constituency.
Romain Cluzel with Guillaume Descours
