Today is a Huge (& Very Tense) Day in France

 

Usually, I try to keep things light for Sundays, particularly in recent years. However, there is some big news that I feel needs to be addressed.

Today is a big day in France. This day will see the second round of the snap parliamentary election that French President Macron called early in June. It was a huge gamble on his part, as he was hoping to stem the momentum of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), which in English means the National Rally. They used to be known as the Front National, or the National Front in English, under the original leader and founder of the movement, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He was a very polarizing figure, and while his movement scored some surprise successes politically, they were limited, since enough French people united enough to prevent him from ever taking power.

However, his daughter Marine Le Pen took over, and she softened the image of the movement. Her father was soon gone, although there is still some debate as to whether or not she kicked him out, or whether it was agreed between them to make it appear so. Anyway, she succeeded in making the Front National a bit easier to digest, and the movement continued to grow. They made big gains, and soon grew large enough to become France's official opposition party.

They continued to alter their image under Le Pen, and renamed themselves the Rassemblement National. Their popularity grew consistently, and they made gains with each election, which brings us to the present day. Now, they outright became the party with the most votes of any political party in France after the first round of this snap election one week ago. And they appear to have a serious chance to win more power. Possibly, they may get their rising young star, Jordan Bardella, with good looks that have been described as being worthy of a movie star. to be France's next Prime Minister. It is not a given, but it most certainly is also a distinct possibility. 

That is why today is such a huge day in France. Should the Rassemblement National obtain a majority in the Assemblée Nationale, France will have the first far-right government (at least for domestic affairs) since the Vichy collaborationist government during the French occupation. That is making a lot of people nervous, so this is also a day filled with tensions in France. 

If they do gain power, there are questions about what happens then. How seriously will they pursue a ban on Islamic head scarves in public places in France? How strongly will they tighten immigration laws? Will they try to oust Macron? And how much of a rift will this cause between France and the rest of Europe, particularly the European Union?

We shall find out what happened later today, probably by tonight at latest here in the United States. I will write again about the results tomorrow. But it seemed worth noting and writing about here and now. Keep an eye on the French elections today.