In a unified call to action, various political leaders, including mayors, deputies, senators, and municipal councilors, have urged the public to 'not bring a single vote to the National Rally' during the second round of legislative elections. This appeal, published on the France Bleu website, underscores the collective concern over the rise of far-right ideologies in France.
The appeal, launched by the Oxfam association, highlights the alarm felt by local leaders in response to the first round of early legislative elections. 'The far right is at the gates of power,' they warn, emphasizing the potential threat to the French social model. Signatories include prominent mayors such as Benoît Payan of Marseille, Grégory Doucet of Lyon, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol of Rouen, and Jeanne Barseghian of Strasbourg.
These local leaders, who are 'artisans of social cohesion,' express their commitment to combating inequalities, poverty, and the environmental emergency. They argue that the National Rally's project, which promotes division and exclusion, would undermine their fundamental work in fostering unity and support within their communities.
The elected officials further criticize the National Rally's program as reflective of extreme right ideologies worldwide, which have led to 'bitter failures' including the reduction of freedoms, the end of the right to abortion, and the shrinking of public expression spaces. They reaffirm the 'fundamental values of France'—equality, freedom, fraternity, justice, and social cohesion—as the guiding principles for their governance.
In a related stance, Édouard Philippe, the mayor of Le Havre and former Prime Minister, has declared his intention to vote for his local opponent, Jean-Paul Lecoq, an outgoing communist deputy, in the second round of legislative elections. Philippe's decision is rooted in his preference for working with elected officials with whom he has disagreements but can collaborate, over candidates from the National Rally with whom he has fundamental disagreements.
Philippe's approach is consistent with his long-standing policy of opposing National Rally candidates in favor of other political rivals, a stance shared by other political figures such as Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, and Xavier Bertrand, president of Hauts-de-France.
- The call to action by these political leaders is a response to the growing influence of the National Rally, which they believe poses a significant threat to the democratic and social fabric of France. By uniting across party lines, they aim to protect the values of equality, freedom, and social cohesion that they hold dear.
- Édouard Philippe's decision to vote for a communist candidate highlights the lengths to which some political figures are willing to go to prevent the National Rally from gaining power. This move reflects a broader strategy among some French politicians to form alliances against the far-right, even if it means supporting ideological opponents.
