The controversial candidate nominated by La France Insoumise on behalf of the New Popular Front in the Avignon constituency, Raphaël Arnault, has qualified for the second round, and the dissident supported by the local left, third and eliminated, has called for a vote for him.
According to the official results, the outgoing far-right National Rally MP Catherine Jaouen comes first with 34.62%, followed by Raphaël Arnault with 24.76%. Philippe Pascal, the candidate supported by the rest of the left, who judged Raphaël Arnaud “too extremist”, came third with 18.27%.
“My only goal is to beat the RN”
An activist in the anti-fascist Young Guard, a movement adopting a muscular and contested strategy against the far right, Raphaël Arnault, who comes from the Lyon region, is listed as “S” in the police register listing individuals potentially dangerous to national security.
He was not immediately available for comment. “I am disappointed because if I had been qualified, I would have been best able to unite and win because I am a moderate,” Mr. Pascal, a former labor inspector and very committed, told AFP. in local and humanitarian associations.
“But I call to vote for Raphaël Arnault, my only goal is to beat the RN,” he added. In the first constituency of Vaucluse, which notably covers Avignon – a city known for its theater festival -, but also two small towns held by the RN, Le Pontet and Morières-les-Avignon, the far right won in 2022 .
But after good scores in the Europeans, the left hopes to be able to turn it around. The result will depend in particular on the instructions of the candidate from the Macronist camp Malika di Fraja, who collected 16.13% of the votes, followed in fifth position by LR with 3.24%. A week ago, those responsible for the Avignon festival launched a call to block the far right.
