More than 9 out of 10 municipalities placed the RN (National Rally) in the lead in the European elections on Sunday. The blue wave has swept across rural France. 'Purchasing power, immigration, and the health system were among the most important subjects put forward by voters before going to vote,' recalls Eddy Fougier, political scientist specializing in the rural world. It is also difficult not to link the agricultural protest of recent months with the RN vote on Sunday. According to a survey carried out in April by Réussir Agra and Cevipof, 26% of farmers intended to vote for the RN during this election compared to 14% for Renaissance and the same for LR. A trend which was confirmed at the polls.
In Aude, a department affected by the abandonment of land and low agricultural income - particularly wine-growing, the RN vote made a breakthrough of more than 9 points on Sunday and confirmed its anchorage with 40.57% of the votes. 'The agricultural world voted massively for RN.'
The National Rally's significant victory wasn't entirely unexpected. Observers of Oisian political life could have predicted that a Bardella blue wave was bound to cross the department during the European elections. In the last presidential election, Marine Le Pen came out on top, followed by the election of three far-right deputies out of seven. But this time, it was more than just a wave — it was a tsunami. With 43.3% of the ballots cast, significantly ahead of the presidential majority (12.4%) and La France insoumise (8.8%), the National Rally came first in 673 of the 680 municipalities of the Oise, with exceptions in Apremont, Creil, Fontaine-Chaalis, Montataire, Nogent-sur-Oise, Raray, and Vieux-Moulin.
As President Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and new legislative elections, Le Parisien visited several municipalities to meet voters who placed Jordan Bardella's ballot in the ballot box on Sunday. In Beauvais, the RN obtained 34.4% of the votes, and in the Picardy Plateau around Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, Marine Le Pen's party exceeded 50% in numerous municipalities. Both urban and rural voters are now setting their sights on the local elections scheduled for June 30.
- The National Rally's considerable success across France's rural regions suggests deep-rooted dissatisfaction with current governmental policies. The emphasis on purchasing power, immigration, and the health system underscores the critical areas where voters are seeking change.
- The electoral success in Oise, in particular, indicates a strong preference for the National Rally among both urban and rural populations. This further implies that the RN's message resonated widely across different demographics.
