The Union of the Far-Right (French: Union de l'extrême droite, UXD) is a political and electoral descriptor created by the French Ministry of the Interior for the 2024 French legislative election to denote candidates from The Republicans (LR) party that are supported and endorsed by the National Rally (RN).[1]
Le Monde classifies these investitures as joint LR–RN candidacies.
History
editFollowing the 2024 European election results, President Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly. The first round of snap elections took place on 30 June 2024, while the second round took place on 7 July 2024.
On 11 June 2024, in response to the announcement, Éric Ciotti, leader of The Republicans, suggested that the LR form a political and electoral alliance with the RN and run joint candidates at the upcoming elections. Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN group in the National Assembly, described Ciotti’s announcement as a "brave choice".[2] His response was heavily criticized within LR itself, which led to executives of the party ousting him as leader.[3] The votes expelling him from party leadership and from the party were overturned on 14 June.[4]
Ciotti subsequently entered into negotiations with the RN, announcing on 17 June 2024 that an agreement had been reached for the RN to support and field no opposition to 62 Ciotti-allied LR candidates in the election.[5] He later denounced the classification of his 63 candidates as the "Union of the Far-Right" by the Ministry of the Interior as a "low manoeuvre by the Macronists aimed at destabilizing our candidates and our voters", calling it "a democratic scandal of unprecedented gravity".[6]
References
edit- ^ "Publication des candidatures et des résultats aux élections – Nuances de candidats". Ministry of Interior. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Les Républicains leader says he wants alliance with France's far-right National Rally". Kim Willsher. The Guardian. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "French right ditch leader over far-right alliance deal". Paul Kirby. BBC News. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Court suspends French right-wing leader Ciotti's expulsion from party". Le Monde. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "French Republicans' Ciotti Wing to Field 62 Candidates in Vote". Vidya Root. Bloomberg News. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Législatives 2024 : Eric Ciotti demande que ses candidats LR alliés au RN soient officiellement classés en "union de la droite" et non "union de l'extrême droite"". France Info (in French). 2024-06-20. Retrieved 9 July 2024.