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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lili Bayer in Brussels

Anger as French conservative leader says he wants alliance with far-right National Rally – as it happened

Jordan Bardella Emmanuel Macron European Union France National Rally Marion Maréchal Ursula von der Leyen EPP
Eric Ciotti, of Les Républicains, pictured in May.
Eric Ciotti, of Les Républicains, pictured in May. Photograph: Denis Thaust/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

We are now closing this blog but you can read our report on the day’s tumultuous political developments in France here.

Summary of the day

  • Emmanuel Macron has said he is “out to win” the snap legislative election he called after his allies’ crushing defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) in the European elections.

  • The National Rally’s Jordan Bardella argued in a television interview that his party is ready to govern.

  • The leader of France’s mainstream right, Éric Ciotti, said he would back an alliance with the far right in the snap legislative elections, shocking opponents and party members and throwing French politics into further disarray.

  • Talks between the National Rally and the far-right Reconquête’s Marion Maréchal did not lead to an agreement.

  • European parliament leaders meeting in Brussels discussed the election results and next steps in electing a European Commission president. But they did not set a date for the election of the new European commission president, although it is widely expected that Ursula von der Leyen will be put to the vote on 18 July, the first week of the new parliament.

  • The four parties negotiating to form a coalition government in the Netherlands reached agreement on a new team of cabinet ministers, far-right leader Geert Wilders said.

  • A date has been selected for Austria’s national election: September 29.

  • Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, has downplayed the controversies surrounding the party’s lead candidate in the European election and insisted that the AfD is now more powerful than Germany’s chancellor.

  • Around one in two voters took part in the European elections last week, with the latest data showing turnout almost static. According to figures released by the European parliament on Tuesday, the 2024 turnout was 50.93%, a tiny improvement on the 50.66% reported in 2019.

It’s official: as we wrote yesterday, Latvia is nominating European Commission veteran Valdis Dombrovskis for another term as a member of the commission.

Marion Maréchal has issued a statement saying that the National Rally is refusing to work with Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête.

Amid the controversy, the French Republicans’ leader, Eric Ciotti, has posted on social media, writing that “France is in danger” and calling for “an alliance with all those who share the ideas of the right.”

Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, writes that there are now “two major risks for the European Green Deal.”

“The first is procrastination in the new European Parliament. With increased pressure from the right, the mainstream centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) might be tempted to push for postponements or watering-down some of the most controversial provisions of the Green Deal,” he wrote.

“The second risk is inaction by national governments. As the Green Deal moves into its implementation phase after five years of policy design and law-making, getting things done at national level is what will really make or break Europe’s green ambitions,” he added.

Austria to hold election on September 29

A date has been selected for Austria’s election: September 29.

Updated

Mélanie Vogel, co-chair of the European Green party, and a French senator, has called “on all progressives, democrats, feminists, LGBTI people, unions, civil society organisations to join this struggle for democracy and justice.”

“We cannot be sure of the best outcome. But we also cannot be certain of the worst. We can win. So let’s fight this together,” she said, adding: “I also call on all LR members to clarify their position and state whether they are still on the democratic side or not. ”

Two senators from France’s Republicans have announced they are quitting the party, following the party leader’s announcement that he wants to work with the far-right National Rally.

Updated

Valérie Hayer, who led the list of Emmanuel Macron’s allies in the European elections, said “the Republicans no longer have an ounce of respect for the Republic.”

Updated

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said voters in the EU showed clear support for parties who back Ukraine, Reuters reported.

“The European elections have brought clear results. An overwhelming majority of citizens support parties that also agree that Ukraine must be supported,” the chancellor said.

Dutch coalition partners agree on cabinet team, says Wilders

Away from France the four parties negotiating to form a coalition government in the Netherlands have reached agreement on a new team of cabinet ministers, far-right leader Geert Wilders said Tuesday.

It’s another key step toward forming the first Dutch government led by a far-right party, Associated Press reports.

Wilders, whose Party for Freedom won national elections more than six months ago, did not immediately give details.

“There is a deal, you’ll hear more in the coming hours, days,” Wilders told reporters in The Hague.

The team of ministers will be made up of members of the four parties in the coalition and outside experts — a so-called technocratic administration.

Prospective ministers will have to undergo interviews in the lower house of parliament before the new government can be sworn in by Dutch King Willem-Alexander. No dates were immediately set.

Anti-Islam lawmaker Wilders convincingly won the November election but took months to cobble together an outline coalition deal. Wilders, a divisive figure who has in the past been convicted of insulting Moroccans, agreed not to become prime minister because of opposition from coalition partners.

Former intelligence agency chief Dick Schoof was named last week as the candidate to replace the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte.

Wilders is building a coalition with Rutte’s centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement and the centrist New Social Contract party.

A deal published by the parties outlining their policy objectives pledges to introduce strict measures on asylum-seekers, scrap family reunification for refugees and reduce the number of international students studying in the country.

Analysts and some civil servants have questioned whether some of the policies are legally or constitutionally possible to enact.

Reuters reports that French Senate President and senior conservative party figure Gerard Larcher on Tuesday joined calls on Eric Ciotti to step down as chairman of the Republican party after he suggested an electoral alliance with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.

“I think he can’t be our movement’s chair anymore,” Larcher said in a post on X.

Updated

More reactions coming in.

“Eric Ciotti has just assassinated the republican right,” wrote Renaissance’s Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the French national assembly.

Renaissance’s Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, called Ciotti’s move a “shame.”

Updated

National Rally’s Jordan Bardella said Eric Ciotti has chosen “the interest of the French.”

The far-right National Rally’s Marine Le Pen has congratulated the Republicans’ Eric Ciotti’s “brave choice”.

Ciotti said he wants an alliance between the National Rally and Republicans.

He said it’s a “personal line” and LR is too weak to form a bloc against the left and Macron alone.

“I believe that the country has never been so right-wing. It expects the right, it expects right-wing action. We can no longer rely on impotence, on communication, on a form of immobilism that has led us to where we are now,” he said.

Updated

Macron says he is 'out to win' snap election

Le Figaro has published an “exclusive” interview with Emmanuel Macron conducted in his plane on returning from commemorations of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre.

Macron said he was “out to win” the snap general election and denied accusations his decision to dissolve parliament was madness.

“Not at all. I’m only thinking of France. It was a good decision and in the country’s interest. I say to the French, don’t be afraid, go and vote,” the paper quotes him saying.

“This is the spirit of our institutions: I have listened to the French people. Now is the time for clarification. Dissolution is the clearest, most radical and strongest gesture. A gesture of great confidence in the French people. have created an interim election to clarify the situation. “

He told Le Figaro he did not think the far-right could repeat its European success in a domestic election.

“Politics is a dynamic. I’ve never believed in opinion polls. The decision I’ve taken opens up a new era. A new campaign is beginning and we mustn’t look at the scores per constituency by the yardstick of those at the European elections.

“The President must commit himself, it’s his correct place: the future of the Republic, the institutions, the country and Europe are at stake.”

He added his position as president was not threatened, despite suggestions that the far-right National Rally will call for his resignation if it wins the general election.

“It’s not the RN that writes the Constitution, or the spirit of it. The institutions are clear, and so is the President’s place, whatever the result,” Macron said.

Updated

Les Républicains leader says he wants alliance with far-right National Rally

Eric Ciotti, leader of Les Républicains in France, has said he wants an alliance with the far-right National Rally.

Updated

European parliament leaders meeting in Brussels have discussed the election results and next steps in electing a European Commission president.

The European parliament president, Roberta Metsola, talked over the results and timetable with the leaders of the assembly’s seven political groups: the centre-right European People’s party, the socialists, liberals, greens, radical left, nationalist eurosceptics and the far-right.

But they did not set a date for the election of the new European commission president, although it is widely expected that Ursula von der Leyen will be put to the vote on 18 July, the first week of the new parliament.

Von der Leyen, the incumbent, needs to secure the support of 361 of 720 MEPs to secure her return to the commission presidency.

Parliament insiders say they cannot set a date until von der Leyen - or someone else - is formally nominated by EU leaders, who are expected to take a decision at a summit on 27-28 June. In the case of von der Leyen getting the nomination, the parliament will wait on her to tell them that she has the votes.

“We can agree that it’s much better to have the vote in July,” said one EP official, adding: “the date cannot overtake the interest of having a result.”

Hours after parties on the populist right made gains in the European elections, a Spanish minister from the country’s Socialist party has sought to highlight the often-overlooked facts about migration.

“The presence of migrants in Spain is essential,” Elma Saiz, the country’s minister of inclusion, social security and migration, told reporters on Monday evening.

She continued:

And beyond false prejudices, foreigners have a clearly positive balance when it comes to supporting our public system. 10% of payments to social security come from migrants, while they represent just 1% of the expenditure.

This year saw Spain’s birth rate plunge to its lowest level since recordkeeping began in 1941 with 1.19 live births per woman – the second lowest rate in the EU and far below the EU average of 1.53.

“Considering the demographic trends of our society, the presence of migrants is essential,” Saiz added. Pointing to estimates from the IMF, United Nations and the European commission, she added: “Spain needs around 200,000 –250,000 workers per year until 2050 to sustain its social welfare state.”

Seán Kelly, Ireland’s veteran MEP has been re-elected, yielding the country the first result since Sunday’s European elections.

The country was the only one of 27 which did not provide an exit poll or any national estimate of polling, which took place last Friday.

As a member of the Fine Gael party, Kelly’s re-election brings the number of European People’s Party MEPs to 186 so far.

“It’s a very special moment to be elected. Topping the poll and elected on the first count is something I hadn’t experienced before,” Kelly said.

It could be days before the names of other MEPs are known with proportional representation involving multiple and time-consuming transfers of ranked votes as candidates pass the quotas set in each of the three constituencies.

Kelly easily won in Ireland South exceeding the quota of 114,761 by just over 8,000.

In Dublin no candidate hit the quota but with Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil/Renew) and Regina Doherty (Fine Gael/EPP) leading the four-seat constituency.

Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan looks set to take the third seat with five or six in contention for the last seat.

They include Clare Daly, the outspoken independent/Left MEP who was endorsed by celebrities Susan Sarandon and Annie Lennox, and became globally known through her strong stance on Palestine and Ciarán Cuffe, (Greens) another incumbent.

Updated

The ink is barely dry on reports there is a left-wing alliance, when Raphaël Glucksmann has said there is no formal agreement as yet and he rules out one with La France Insoumise.

The right is also tearing itself apart: Eric Ciotti, head of the Republicans, is reported to be considering an alliance with far right National Rally. This has caused outrage among other notables and threatens to tear the opposition right apart.

This implosion of moderate right and left can only benefit the National Rally.

Turnout for European elections at 50.93%

Around one in two voters took part in the European elections last week, with the latest data showing turnout almost static.

According to figures released by the European parliament on Tuesday, the 2024 turnout was 50.93%, a tiny improvement on the 50.66% reported in 2019.

Behind the headline number are 27 different national stories, with voters in some countries, such as Spain and Italy, less motivated, while in others, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, there were significant jumps in turnout.

For parliament officials, the big trend is the narrowing gap between “old” member states and newer ones that joined from 2004. Turnout has been traditionally lower in central and eastern Europe, but the gap is closing.

Slovakia, which was rocked by the attempted assassination of prime minister Robert Fico only three weeks before voting began, saw turnout jump to 34.38%, up from 22.74%. Croatia has now taken Slovakia’s traditional title as member state with lowest turnout: barely one in five voters went to the polls (21.34% down from 29.85% in 2019).

In Hungary, where the campaign was electrified by a challenger to long-term leader Viktor Orbán, turnout rose to 59.26%, up from 43.36%.

In the Czech Republic, where former prime minister Andrej Babiš’ party topped the polls, following a campaign against the Green Deal and migration, turnout was up to 36.45% from 28.72%.

In Poland, however, there was less interest in European elections, in the wake of last October’s landmark victory for a coalition led by centre-right Donald Tusk at the expense of the populist nationalist Law and Justice party. Polish turnout slipped to 40.65%, from 45.68%.

Founding member state Italy with historically high interest in European elections, saw turnout drop to 48.3% down from 54.5%, while Spain saw an even bigger fall to 49.21% from 60.73%.

Turnout was slightly higher in France at 51.5% (50.12% in 2019), while in Germany it rose to 64.78% up from 61.38%.

As French politicians continue debating potential alliances, Place Publique’s Raphaël Glucksmann has said that unity cannot be achieved at the price of renouncing principles.

He listed military aid to Ukraine and the acceleration of the green transition as some of these principles.

EU elections fallout: a shock snap vote, resignations and the far right

Here’s a video report on the aftermath of the European elections.

French politicians rush to form marriages of convenience ahead of snap election

In the wake of Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap general election after the far-right National Rally’s win in the European elections on Sunday, French politicians are engaged in what the media has labelled a “national seduction” campaign to form hasty marriages of convenience to fight for seats.

On the left, political leaders announced they had agreed to form a new Popular Front to put up a single candidate in each constituency. The grouping includes socialists, communists and the hard left La France Insoumise, but such alliances have a shaky history in France and it is unclear what role, if any, the leader of La France Insoumise, the hardline Jean-Luc Mélenchon will play. This remains the alliance’s most prickly question.

On the right, the biggest question is which MPs from the conservative historically Gaullist Les Républicains - if any - will ally with the National Rally, which currently does not have enough people to stand in every constituency.

Also on the right, the former prime minister Édouard Philippe in Macron’s centrist government, who has formed his own conservative party called Horizons, has called for a united front against the National Rally.

On the far right, National Rally’s Jordan Bardella has given his first interview since Sunday: “We are ready to govern”, he told French television.

'We are stronger than the chancellor': Far-right German politician downplays controversies

Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, has downplayed the controversies surrounding the party’s lead candidate in the European election and insisted that the AfD is now more powerful than Germany’s chancellor.

Maximilian Krah resigned from the AfD leadership in May after his comment that the SS, the Nazis’ main paramilitary force, were “not all criminals” fuelled outrage.

The AfD was expelled from the far-right Identity and Democracy group, which includes members such as France’s National Rally. But Krah was still on the ballot in the European election and was re-elected as MEP.

Asked about Krah, von Storch told the BBC:

Well he was just excluded from the group, so he will not join the AfD group in the parliament, and so that’s over, and we could come and talk about what led AfD to be the second-biggest party in Germany, the strongest in the east, the strongest within the working class people, the strongest with the young people.

People don’t care so much about these things. Yes, we had a problem with that person. We took the decision to exclude him from our group, and so let’s move on forward.

But pressed on whether Krah will remain a member of the AfD party itself, von Storch said “yes, but, you know, that’s something else” and that the party will have to “see through what has come out as evidence from other things.”

In a combative response, von Storch said:

You are trying to focus on one person. You’re talking to the deputy chair of the second-biggest party in Germany. We are stronger than the chancellor.

Updated

The French far-right Reconquête’s Marion Maréchal said “the national camp no longer has the right to be divided.”

A group of left-wing parties in France has come together ahead of the snap elections, and will run joint candidates.

Ursula von der Leyen in pole position as she tries to build majority to keep job

Ursula von der Leyen has begun trying to craft a majority for a second term as European Commission president, after major gains for the far right that are likely to mean a less stable European parliament.

Von der Leyen, a German Christian Democrat, was jubilant after her European People’s party (EPP) secured 186 of the 720 seats in the European elections, maintaining its 25-year hold as the largest group and leaving her a narrow path to a second term.

But she has been presented with a wild card: Emmanuel Macron’s bombshell decision to call snap elections after his Renaissance party came a dismal second to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in France.

Von der Leyen, the first woman to lead the commission, was the EPP’s lead candidate and remains in pole position. With the added uncertainty of French elections in the mix, she has to clear two hurdles. First she needs the backing of a qualified majority of EU leaders, then an absolute majority – 361 votes – in the new European parliament.

Read the full story here, by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Angela Giuffrida in Rome

'We are ready to govern', French far-right National Rally's Bardella says

In a television interview this morning, the French far-right National Rally’s Jordan Bardella argued his party is ready to govern, while noting that not everything the party wants to do would be possible while Emmanuel Macron is president.

But, he said, it would be possible to do things on issues such as security and migration.

Bardella also said he wants to build a majority that is as large as possible, and work with other political groups.

Macron called snap legislative elections after his allies performed poorly in the European elections on Sunday, while the far-right in France came in first place.

The National Rally took 31.37%, while Macron’s allies were at merely 14.6%.

Welcome to the blog

Good morning and welcome back to the blog, where we will be looking today at reactions to the European elections and what comes next.

Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.

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