This Sunday marked the second round of the early legislative elections in France, drawing significant attention to the sixth constituency of Vire-Evrecy. Former Prime Minister and outgoing MP, Élisabeth Borne, who was trailing by 8 points in the first round against National Rally (RN) candidate Nicolas Calbrix, emerged victorious with over 56% of the votes. Borne's win was bolstered by the strategic withdrawal of New Popular Front (NFP) candidate, Nicolas Gauchard, who had secured 23% in the first round.
In the first constituency of Caen West, the mayor of Caen, Joël Bruneau, running under the Divers Right label, confirmed his initial lead and won with more than 59% of the votes against NFP candidate Emma Fourreau. This constituency had a controversial moment when RN candidate Ludivine Daoudi, who came third in the first round, was withdrawn after a photo surfaced showing her in a Nazi cap.
The trend of outgoing MPs retaining their seats continued across other constituencies. In the second constituency, Caen-Est, NFP candidate and outgoing MP Arthur Delaporte secured a decisive victory with over 68% of the votes against RN's Josseline Lebanon. Similarly, in the third constituency of Lisieux-Falaise, RN candidate Edouard Sauvage, despite leading in the first round with 41%, was defeated by outgoing deputy Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, who garnered 54% of the votes.
The fourth constituency, encompassing the prestigious seaside resorts of Deauville, Cabourg, and Ouistreham, saw outgoing deputy Christophe Blanchet of the presidential majority win with nearly 60% of the votes against RN's Chantal Henry. This result was influenced by the first-round withdrawal of NFP's Pierre Mouraret, who had secured 19% of the votes.
In the fifth constituency, outgoing MP Bertrand Bouyx, supported by the presidential majority, won with nearly 62% of the votes against RN's Philippe Chapron, who had led in the first round. The withdrawal of NFP's Thomas Dupont-Federici, who had 24% of the votes, in favor of Bouyx played a significant role in this outcome.
- Élisabeth Borne, who served as Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024, managed to retain her seat in Vire (Calvados) by defeating RN's Nicolas Calbrix. Borne's re-election with over 55% of the votes, according to partial results, highlights her ability to contain the rise of the nationalist formation.
- Borne's victory was facilitated by the withdrawal of her Insoumis competitor, Noé Gauchard, backed by the New Popular Front. Despite being a contentious figure, particularly during the pension reform, Borne benefited from the transfer of votes from NFP supporters.
- Dubbed 'Madame 49.3' by her opponents due to her use of the constitutional amendment to pass multiple texts, Borne faced significant challenges in her moderate constituency of Calvados. The constituency had previously seen Jordan Bardella's list top the European elections with 34% of the votes, adding to the pressure on Borne.
- In the first round of the legislative elections on June 30, the RN candidate received 14,000 more votes than the RN candidate in 2022. However, Borne's strategic alliances and voter support enabled her to overcome this initial deficit and secure her re-election.
