motorcycle, “Bronzés” and French flags, the highlights of the evening of the first round

After the dissolution pronounced by Emmanuel Macron, voters were called to the polls to appoint their deputies, this Sunday, June 30. A look back at the election evenings of the first round, from TF1 to CNews via France 2, BFMTV and Brut.

AWhen the results of the first round of the early legislative elections put the National Rally in the lead, with more than 33%, zoom on five televised election evenings, which all adopted a very different tone.

On France 2, motorcycle sequence and uncontrolled skidding

Storytelling atmosphere on the France 2 set to start. The evening is coming “historical”, insists Anne-Sophie Lapix. “Will the democratic shock take place? » continues Laurent Delahousse, who is already speaking d’“intense participation”We fill before 8 p.m., and too bad if it borders on parody.

When the results come in, there’s a change of direction and tone. It even goes haywire. And suddenly a motorbike appears. The one from the evenings of presidential victories, launched at full throttle behind… Jordan Bardella. “We are on the ring road, destination the Wagram Pavilion, where Jordan Bardella will speak”, explains journalist Madjid Khiat. The motorcycle is seeded and returned to the garage. It’s 8:07 p.m., first slip-up.

Many others will follow. The channel’s star duo seems overwhelmed by a set that is bursting into flames, skipping the interventions of leading politicians. “In rural areas and everywhere in France, we will not focus on your extremism. You are a scarecrow, people don’t want you”, Louis Alliot (RN) immediately throws at Clémentine Autain (NFP). Nathalie Saint-Cricq, head down, scribbles notes. The parade is only just beginning in a constant tension.

Jean-François Copé, happy to find the light again, comes to give his instructions for the triangulars in the name of… himself, “candidate of the uninhibited right”. “Neither the extreme left nor the extreme right”, he asserts, before attacking Catherine Vautrin, ex-LR and Minister of Labor under Gabriel Attal, who calls for a Republican front: “You don’t believe what you’re saying, Catherine.” “I’m not sure you believe what you just said,” she answers him. The camera wanders over to Patrick Cohen, evening columnist, who shakes his head, annoyed… We would be less so. A sequence among others on a set left to its own devices and to the invectives of everyone. – HE

On CNews, we count the French flags

A test pattern and a shrill “beep”… On CNews, Marine Le Pen’s speech live from Hénin-Beaumont, barely begun, takes on the appearance of ORTF. A shame for the channel which has been shamelessly campaigning for the National Rally for three weeks (and for the far right for years). Once communication has been re-established, the electoral evening broadcast simultaneously on Europe 1 continues with Bollorean style: CNews is the only channel to broadcast live the intervention of Éric Zemmour, president of a small group party which received only 0 .7% of the votes and no candidate advanced to the second round.

A little later, while a special correspondent describes the atmosphere at Place de la République, where the leaders of the New Popular Front are due to speak, Laurence Ferrari inquires: “Just a quick question, do you see a single French flag on Place de la République? — I just turned my head, there is only one, a single tricolor flag that stands out among the many Palestinian flags, the many flags that say “Justice for Nahel”. It feels like we are attending a demonstration for Nahel, against police violence. We are a long way from the legislative elections.” On CNews, even the reporters are capable of producing alternative truths.

On set, Laurence Ferrari questions her expert: “Geoffroy Lejeune, a single French flag on the Place de la République?! — Ah yes, that speaks for itself!” the boss of the JDD. Paul Vannier, LFI representative, legitimizes the presence of multiple flags and takes the opportunity to defend the rights of dual nationals. Geoffroy Lejeune gets carried away: “Seeing people celebrating your score with foreign flags, yes, that bothers me! — You are a far-right activist, points out Paul Vannier. — Moderate your words, please! orders Laurence Ferrari. To prove his love for French-foreigners, Geoffroy Lejeune adapts the famous “I have a black friend” racists: “I have dual nationals in my family, I have dual national nephews.” — SG

On TF1, THE Tanned 3 rather than Gabriel Attal

There was one major absence last night on the set of Anne-Claire Coudray and Gilles Bouleau: Emmanuel Macron’s voting instructions in the event of a three-way race. Faced with the president of the MoDem, sent to represent the presidential majority, the journalists tried as best they could to obtain an answer: “François Bayrou, perhaps you can give us an exegesis [de la pensée du président de la République] ? » Anne-Claire Coudray politely insists. The person concerned responds: “It’s not far from what I told you.” earlier, when he affirmed that we must indeed put up a Republican front, unless it means withdrawing in favor of an Insoumis candidate, unless it is François Ruffin, who , he is very good…

Same story a little later in the evening, when the former president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, takes over from her comrade on the set. “We have seen, on the majority side, at least three shades of withdrawal, what is your position this evening? We still haven’t understood!” Gilles Bouleau despairs. “Not a single vote for the National Rally”, decides the MP, before specifying in turn that we must vote for the candidate “the most republican”, including many “within the left alliance”, ” but not all “. Withdrawal or not withdrawal? Journalists and viewers will end the evening without answers to their questions, despite Gabriel Attal’s speech – broadcast on all other news channels – intended to clarify the party line. The special edition had already ended a long time ago on TF1, which saw fit to move on as quickly as possible to its second part of the evening with The Bronzed 3… — EPo

War of parties in Brut comments

“You are in the right place, you are on Brut. » Exceptional elections require exceptional arrangements. Rémy Buisine, a journalist for the online media Brut, who is more used to the great outdoors, was live from their studio on Sunday evening for a live broadcast on the social networks TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Here, there are no columnists or politicians; the journalist hosts the evening alone. After the sacrosanct countdown, on the screen divided in two, the projections of the National Assembly intersect with the speeches. The images coming from the various HQs in Paris, Nice or Hénin-Beaumont are not accompanied by the traditional duplexes of special envoys. The TV channels are still rather silent on the subject when the first videos of the rallies against the far right are broadcast, in Nantes, then, from 9 p.m., at Place de la République in Paris. The pace is brisk, but the very sustained flow will only run out of steam in the last half hour.

Internet users are particularly in good shape. Before the announcement of the first estimates, the comments space is the scene of a joust. The “FP” (Popular Front) of some responds with the “RN” of others. The goal? To increase the counter of the term “most sent”, a feature offered by the platform. “I see that in the comments you are more voting than asking questions,” “Remy Buisine jokes. Later in the evening, words thanking the Brut team for their work rub shoulders with questions directly related to the results and a few recurring comments: “Vote RN if you love France”, “France for the French”, “Tonight riot”, “Vote Popular Front! “. Claims that the journalist will not take up. At 10:15 p.m., the end of the first live broadcast. The journalist heads off to Place de la République, where, if events warrant it, he will restart his live broadcast. This time from the street. — PDD

BFMTV stands Poutou up

“See you on BFMTV at 10:30 p.m.”, Philippe Poutou announced at 8:18 p.m. on his X account (ex-Twitter). At 10:45 p.m., he posted a new message showing himself alone in the night in front of a camera: “As usual, BFM is making us wait.” At 11:23 p.m., Philippe Poutou gives up : “Okay, no BFM…” is it written on a photo where the New Popular Front candidate no longer appears, but only the light of a spotlight in the darkness. “There were Zemmour, Ménard and Ciotti on the air and so BFM made its choice, regrets Philippe Poutou. Fed up with waiting. We have a campaign to run. » If the channel did not broadcast Éric Zemmour’s statement, BFMTV actually chose to give the floor to the mayor of Béziers, who was not a candidate and only represents himself, rather than honoring his appointment. you with a candidate qualified for the second round in Aude and representing a coalition that came in second position at the national level. — SG

On all channels, perilous projections

From 8pm, TF1, France 2 and BFMTV (soon to be joined by CNews) pull out their graphs illustrating the number of seats for the different parties in the future Assembly. Risky projections, based solely on exit polls, built without even knowing which candidates will be in the running in the second round… TF1 and France 2 give ranges excluding an absolute majority for the National Rally. This is conceivable but unlikely on CNews, which predicts between 260 and 310 RN deputies. Only BFMTV foresees up to 310 RN deputies. Immediately, the banner proclaims: “RN wave, an absolute majority?” and the discussion begins on this doubtful prophecy. The results of the first round are not even known and the polls are already raging. — SG