France is preparing for the first round of early parliamentary elections, in which the battle will be fought between the far-right of Marine Le Pen, the coalition around President Emmanuel Macron's party and the new left-center-left-environment alliance. The classical right appeared at the vote strongly divided. Another far-right party, which performed well in the Euro vote on June 9, also now appears in early elections deeply divided. Logically, the attention of the media is focused on the pre-election programs of the three main political forces. “Mond“, France Press, “Linternot“, “Tut L’Europe“, “Express“, “France Bleu“ and many other media made a comparative analysis of the pre-election promises of these three leading French forces on the eve of the vote.
What is the philosophy of the far-right on the eve of early elections in France
The program of the far-right party "National Assembly" (National Assembly) for the parliamentary elections on June 30 and July 7 adopted elements of the party's program for the Euro vote. It was presented by its leader Jordan Bardella at a press conference on June 24, in his interview with the publication “Parisien“ since last week and during the pre-election televised debates on June 25 and 27, in which Bardela participated alongside Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and various representatives of the leftist coalition. In parallel with this, in an interview with a French publication on June 27, Marine Le Pen also presented some elements of the far-right philosophy.
Pensions
The National Assembly will cancel the reform of the pension system introduced by Macron and which foresees an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The NC offers earlier retirement for people who started working earlier. For example, a person who started working at the age of 17 should be able to retire at the age of 60. If a person started working at the age of 24, he will, however, retire at the age of 66, according to the plans of the far-right, who want to introduce a requirement of 42 years of insurance service in relation to retirement, note “Linternost” and “This is Europe”. In response to specific questions about the pension system, Bardella said he wants to introduce a legal retirement age of 62, while also introducing a progressive system that privileges long careers, reports AFP.
Immigration
The NA wants a clear tightening of the migration policy at the national level, but also at the European level. The party plans to adopt a new law on migration this year. In European terms, the National Assembly wants negotiations with the EU member states to restrict free movement in the Schengen area, so that it is limited to European citizens only. At the national level, the National Assembly wants the introduction of the so-called national priority and says that it will also put this issue to a referendum. The NC wants social benefits to be reserved for the French and for foreigners to have worked for five years in France to be entitled to access the “income for solidarity activity“ – a type of assistance that provides people without resources with a minimum income that varies according to household composition. The National Assembly will also tighten the rules for the reunification of migrant families on French territory. The National Assembly will also suspend the "jus soli" right, under which the children of migrants born in France can obtain French citizenship. Some jobs will be unavailable to dual nationals, such as in strategic sectors related to security or defence. They will be reserved for French citizens, according to the far-right's plans. However, the party assures that in this way it does not want to call into question the very right in France to dual citizenship. The SC will also introduce the crime of illegal residence on French territory, which will be punishable by a fine. The party also plans to transform the state medical aid for foreigners illegally residing in France into medical aid that would be provided only if the lives of these people are in mortal danger.
Education
The far-right wants to ban cell phones in schools. They also insist on continuing the experiment with school uniforms. The National Assembly wants to introduce the obligatory address "You" in school. The party is also in favor of withdrawing scholarships from students in case of serious violations of the rules. The NC also proposes the creation of specialized centers for students who violate discipline or harass other students. The NS is also for introducing a system where students will be given the opportunity for future professional guidance more quickly.
Taxes
The Supreme Court wants to abolish the tax on immovable property wealth and return the tax on financial wealth. The far-right is also in favor of abolishing inheritance tax for the middle class and the poorest. They also want tax breaks for a second child in the family, which will encourage the birth rate in the country. The NCs are also for tax exemption for donations from parents to children and grandchildren in the amount of EUR 100,000 per year for a period of 10 years. The far-right wants to exempt retired doctors who have returned to work from income tax as part of the state's efforts to deal with a shortage of doctors in certain parts of the country. The National Assembly also talks about suspending VAT on a hundred essential products in case of high inflation.
Healthcare
The NC will announce a moratorium on the closure of health facilities, which are now threatened by such a measure due to various factors. The NC will encourage, through various initiatives and measures, for doctors to settle in areas known as “medical deserts”, that is, such areas where, due to various factors, mostly geographical, there is a shortage of general practitioners and health care.< /p>
Crime
The Supreme Court wants to introduce maximum sentences for attacks on people holding public office or for drug trafficking. The National Assembly also wants the abolition of social benefits for parents of juvenile recidivists.
Energy
The SC wants France out of European rules for setting energy prices, which the far-right says weakens competition. The party wants an “Iberian exception regime” in relation to prices in the energy sector, to be agreed between France and the EC. Under this so-called “Iberian exception” the price of gas is separated from the price of other sources of electricity (nuclear, hydro and renewable energy), with the exception now in effect for the countries of the Iberian Peninsula. According to Jordan Bardella, this could lead to “30 percent lower bills" in France. The National Assembly also wants to reduce the VAT on energy and fuels from 20 percent now to 5.5 percent. This measure would cost the budget 7 billion euros by the end of the year. That is why the NC wants to eliminate some tax niches, but also to reduce the French contribution to the EU budget, which is now 2 billion euros per year, and for this to happen from this year. In total, all these measures for this year alone would bring 21.6 billion euros to France, says the National Assembly.
Environment
HC is against the so-called penal ecology, which negatively affects both the purchasing power of the French and the economic growth of the country. For example, the party promises a review of the ban on renting out properties whose overall energy efficiency is poor. The SC also wants to ease France's target of zero land-use change to be achieved by 2050. The SC wants to lift the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines in Europe, which will come into force in 2035 Mr.
French first
HC, for example, also talks about encouraging local players in public procurement tenders. Or to oblige chairs in French educational institutions or other institutions to use 80 percent French agricultural products in 2027.
Defense
In these areas, the SC does not want any transfer of competences from individual EU countries. The National Assembly also wants to promote the so-called European preference in the purchase of military equipment from the member states. That is, for them to buy what is produced in Europe. In the edition “Telegram” Marine Le Pen, who is the chairman of the parliamentary group of the National Assembly in the former lower house of parliament and was until recently also the party president and who is being pointed out as a candidate for the president of the National Assembly in the 2027 elections, said that the title of "commander-in-chief" which the French president has according to the constitution, is only an honorary title, because in fact the prime minister is the one who “unties the purse”. This promises a difficult coexistence between President Macron and a possible prime minister from the National Assembly if the National Assembly wins the election.
EU or European Alliance of Nations
The philosophy of the National Assembly no longer includes leaving the EU, as it was a few years ago, but questions the very foundations of European community building. The National Assembly wants the EU to become an Alliance of Nations, which is synonymous with a strong reduction of the EU's current competences. This will be a radically new Europe, which will require profound changes in the European treaties and, accordingly, the unanimous approval of the 27 member countries. The National Assembly also wants to confirm the supremacy of the French constitution over European laws. Which means opposing the very essence of European construction, in which European law is above national law. The National Assembly wants the institutional architecture of the EU itself to be greatly changed.
The EC should become the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU (by the way, there is already a similar body under the same name) and no longer have the right to legislative initiative, a right that is exclusive to the Council of the EU. The Council of the EU, which unites relevant ministers from the member states, according to the ideas of the National Assembly, should, however, make its decisions unanimously in several areas, including trade. The National Assembly also wants to change the mandate of the European Central Bank, so that it focuses on employment, production and the financing of long-term strategic projects. Today, its main goal is controlling inflation. The National Assembly also wants a moratorium on European negotiations on new free trade agreements. The National Assembly is also against the expansion of the EU both to Ukraine and to nine other countries (mainly from the Balkans). According to the NC, EU enlargement will destroy French agriculture and affect French wages, which will decrease.
NATO
Two years ago, the National Assembly wanted France to leave NATO's integrated command. Now such an emphasis is not placed in its program. Giordana Bardella assures that she does not want to question France's commitments at the international level if she becomes prime minister.
Ukraine and Russia
The UN declares support for Ukraine, but without sending it material that could escalate the conflict, such as weapons that could be used against Russian cities. Because, according to the National Assembly, this will create conditions for France's intervention in the conflict and conditions for the escalation of the conflict with a nuclear power such as Russia. The National Assembly is also against sending French troops to Ukraine. On June 27, Bardella assured that he would not let Russian imperialism absorb an allied country like Ukraine, but he repeated his refusal to send French troops to Ukraine if he becomes prime minister after the parliamentary elections in France.
„My position on this conflict is very simple. She never changed. This is a position of support for Ukraine and of avoiding escalation with Russia, which is, I remind you, a nuclear power," Bardella said during the pre-election debate held on June 27. “I am against sending long-range missiles that could, for example, directly hit Russian territory and put France and the French in a co-belligerent situation in the conflict,”, he added. And already on Monday, Bardella also warned that he will be extremely vigilant against attempts to interfere with Russia in the affairs of France.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The SC believes that an initiative to recognize the independence of a Palestinian state today would be tantamount to recognizing terrorism.
According to the polls of the last few days, the far-right National Party can get 36-37 percent of the elections. In the Euro vote, the party took more than 31 percent and ranked first in France, with a double result compared to the coalition around President Macron's party.
What will the presidential majority parties fight for if they retain power
The presidential majority, including the parties “Renaissance“, “Horizons“ and "Democratic Movement", united in the "Together for the Republic" coalition, also known simply as "Together", presented its election program for the early vote during a press conference of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on June 20. Highlights of the program were repeated by Atal during the pre-election debates on June 25 and 27. A number of the proposals were also made during the presidential majority's campaign for the Euro vote.
EU
The presidential majority supports President Emmanuel Macron's vision that France is a driving force in the EU, that it should have a leading role in the bloc, which should become more strategically independent of external factors such as the US or China.
Defense
„Together“ emphasizes that France remains an integral part of NATO and maintains its strategy of nuclear deterrence. This guaranteed the sovereignty of France. France itself promises to double its defense budget by 2030.
Ukraine
„Together“ will continue its support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. The presidential majority talks about permanent military support for this country in the form of sending weapons, ammunition, aircraft and finalizing a coalition of Western military instructors in Ukraine. Macron himself agrees to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to neutralize Russian military bases. During the pre-election debate on June 27, Gabriel Attal stated that the Ukrainians should be supported because they simultaneously protect the values that are “ours, such as democracy and freedom, and because by supporting them, we also protect the French and their everyday life“. “If this war stops because Russia has won over Ukraine, it will be just as terrible for the daily lives of the French,”, Attal said, warning that there would be an inflationary explosion and a significant wave of migration to Europe.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
„Together“ supports the idea of not immediately recognizing an independent Palestinian state because there are not the necessary conditions for this at this stage.
Free Trade Agreements
The presidential coalition is in favor of abandoning European negotiations on trade agreements with countries that do not comply with the Paris Climate Agreement or the Montreal Biodiversity Agreement. Which would also mean rejecting the current agreement with Mercosur. France refuses to ratify it in its current form.
Environment
The presidential coalition promises a 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030. The parties in this coalition also want the implementation of a major EU-wide investment plan to achieve the bloc's carbon neutrality by 2050 d. The plan will amount to 1 trillion euros and will complement the “Green Deal” of the EU. The presidential majority also promises to provide 100,000 "environmentally friendly cars" each year, to be rented out for a monthly fee of 100 euros. It is also to create a fund that will help the middle class improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and the goal is to have 300,000 renovated homes in this direction by 2027. The presidential majority also promises to reduce the use of pesticides.
Energy
Parties from “Together“ promise to reduce energy bills by 15 percent from this winter, that is, for every French person there will be 200 euros less in the annual energy bill. This will be done with the help of the reform of the European electricity market, adopted at the end of May and aimed at stabilizing prices. The presidential majority is also committed to building 14 more nuclear reactors in France.
Immigration
Parties from “Together“ promise to open migrant centers at the EU's external borders where migrants will wait while their asylum applications are processed. The coalition also talks about increasing the number of Border Guard and Coast Guard officers. The presidential majority also declares itself in favor of accepting on French territory renowned researchers, doctors, students with great potential and skilled workers, which the French economy needs. In the program of the parties for the Euro vote on this issue, there were specifics - the granting of 100,000 priority migrant visas for representatives of professions that suffer from a labor shortage in France, but also priority visas for foreign talents, such as entrepreneurs or researchers.< /p>
Justice
The presidential majority is for criminals who have reached the age of 16 to be tried as adult offenders.
Employment
The presidential majority wants to experiment with a 4-day work week. The parties around Macron's formation are committed to introducing a new reform of unemployment benefits. They also want the creation of better paid maternity leave so that both parents can spend the first months with their child. The presidential majority will work to create 200,000 industrial jobs and open 4,000 factories. The majority around Macron's party also talks about increasing wages, which are now in the range between the minimum wage and 2,000 euros, by reforming the mechanism of social security contributions.
Agriculture
„Together“ will work to introduce price ceilings in agricultural industries.
Pensions
The presidential majority assures that it will stick to the pension reform adopted by the Macron government. But he promises indexation of pensions against inflation.
Taxes
„Together“ they are talking about enshrining in legislation a golden budget rule to prohibit tax increases no matter what. The presidential majority recalls that since 2017, Macron's governments have reduced a number of taxes and fees. Now the parties also promise to abolish the tax on donations of amounts amounting to up to 150,000 euros to children and up to 100,000 euros to grandchildren.
Housing Policy
The presidential majority is talking about reducing notary costs when buying homes at a price below 250,000 euros. This will help middle-class French first-time home buyers. They will save up to €15,000 through this measure.
Education
Macron's majority supports his idea of banning mobile phones for children under 11 and social media for children under 15.
Healthcare
„Together“ will work to delegate some medical rights to people in other professions, such as pharmacists being able to administer vaccines. The presidential majority promises to double the number of doctors by 2027 and introduce a system that will ensure that there will be a doctor on call less than 30 minutes from everyone's home in France, and that this will happen from the summer of this year year. The presidential majority also promises to fully refund the amounts paid for the purchase of a wheelchair. “Together“ is also to create a public health insurance scheme worth €1 per day for pensioners, students, self-employed persons and job seekers who do not currently have health insurance
Media
The presidential majority plans a reform in which the two media groups “France Television“ and “Radio France” will be merged into one media holding
According to the latest polls, the presidential majority will remain in third place in the early elections with 19.5-20 percent. In the Euro vote, the coalition around Macron's party remained in second place with 14.6 percent.
What the new center-left coalition promises in France
In the left space, on the occasion of the early elections, four parties formed a coalition called “New People's Front” (NNF). It unites the Socialist Party, the radical left “Rebellious France”, the environmentalists of “Europe Ecology Greens” and the French Communist Party. The party's program was presented on the occasion of various events, including the two televised debates held on June 25 and 27, in which a representative of the radical left and the socialists took part against Bardella and Attal.
EU
NNF wants to abandon the austerity-style restrictions in the European budget pact. The coalition also insists on a reform of the European agricultural policy. The NNF is for the introduction of a clause for the adoption of the most favorable legislation in the EU. This will mean promoting the implementation at the European level of the most advanced legislation in the member states regarding women's rights. The NNF proposes that the EU acquire new funds and policies, such as the European Climate Pact and for urgent social action. NNF wants to give European level priority to green investments. NNF plans to introduce a mechanism for social harmonization to put an end to social and fiscal dumping policies in the EU. The NNF talks about introducing a tax on the richest at the European level, which will lead to more funds for the general budget of the EU, and about introducing everywhere in the EU a tax on excess profits. The NNF wants the European Council to switch to qualified majority voting on fiscal matters.
Ukraine
The NNF stands for irrevocable support for the sovereignty and freedom of the Ukrainian people and the integrity of Ukraine's borders, and is committed to supplying Ukraine with the weapons it needs, as well as canceling its foreign debt and confiscating the assets of the oligarchs who contribute to the Russian military effort. The NNF talks about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine and is generally committed to working for the return of peace to Ukraine. At the pre-election debate on June 27, the leader of the Socialists, Olivier Faure, even stated that he supports the sending of missiles to Ukraine, which “allow to target on Russian territory infrastructure that serves to bombard Ukrainian territory”, France Press recalls.< /p>
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The NNF intends to take immediate action for a ceasefire in Gaza and contribute to the establishment of a just and lasting peace there. At the European level, the NNF wants the termination of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, which is tied to the condition of respect for human rights. The NNF calls for the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel. The NNF also talks about “the end of the French government's support for Netanyahu's supremacist far-right government” and even wants sanctions on this cabinet until it starts to respect international law in Gaza and the West Bank, noted “Linternot” and “Here L’Europe”. The NNF calls for the release of the hostages held by “Hamas”, but also for the release of Palestinian political prisoners.
Diversification of Diplomacy
The NNF promises that it will conduct France's diplomacy in a different way and will first begin urgent work to achieve world peace. The NNF also advocates diplomacy to promote the sharing of the planetary commons. The NNF also declares itself in favor of the demilitarization of space.
Ecology
NNF wants to turn France into a leading country in the climate transition in Europe. The NNF also wants to strengthen the structure of the French and European renewable energy sector and make France a European leader in offshore wind and tidal energy development. The NNF is for accelerating the improvement of the energy efficiency of public buildings and for rejecting the privatization of hydropower plants. The NNF also wants the introduction of the crime of “ecocide” and declares a moderate use of natural resources by people, so that they are not permanently depleted.
Economics
The NNF will implement a plan to end France's and Europe's dependence on outside players in strategic areas such as semiconductors or pharmaceuticals. The coalition is also in favor of ending free trade agreements to protect French farmers from unfair competition. The goal is to end the Canada-EU treaty and the EU's Mercosur treaty.
Immigration
NNF proposes the creation of an Agency for the rescue of migrants by sea and by land. Initially it will be French, then it will become European and will act in addition to the activities of the EU Agency for Asylum. The NNF also wants a review of the European migration pact, recently adopted in the EU after years of negotiations. The left-wing coalition will also abolish the migration law passed by the French parliament in the winter. The NNF also plans to create the status of a climate displaced citizen. In general, in the field of migration, the NNF is more generous towards migrants than the far right and the center.
Purchasing power
NNF promises to increase the minimum wage to 1,600 euros net per month compared to 1,400 euros now and talks about indexation of wages to inflation. NNF also wants to block the prices of essential goods – foodstuffs, energy, fuels. NNF is for a 10 percent increase in personalized housing assistance, as well as an increase in disability benefits at the level of the minimum wage.
Energy
NNF is in favor of abolishing the 10 percent tax on energy bills, or the so-called domestic final consumption tax on electricity. The coalition also wants cancellation of the expected increase in the price of gas.
Pensions
The NNF is in favor of canceling Macron's pension reform and returning to retirement at 60, as well as indexing pensions to wages. NNF also wants the introduction of insurance on pay for additional hours of work, on dividends, on equity participation or on the purchase of shares. The NNF is also talking about creating excess pension deductions on high salaries.
Education
NNF is for free education, including transport, study materials, food in the chairs of educational institutions. The NNF is also in favor of classes having a maximum of 19 people.
Healthcare
NNF is for a new health law and for the renovation of public hospitals. NNF is also for the end of “health deserts” by promoting and regulating the establishment of doctors in these areas. NNF also promises to fight against the shortage of medicines. The NNF also wants a refund of the funds that people pay for the artificial insemination procedure and the funds paid for the purchase of sanitary napkins and tampons, as well as the introduction of menstrual leave. On a more global level, the NNF wants to remove patents on vaccines and medical devices to fight pandemics.
Public transport
NNF talks about a moratorium on highway infrastructure projects and the closure of small railway lines. The coalition wants the creation of rail regional express services. NNF talks about reducing VAT on public transport prices to 5.5 percent.
The measures in the NNF program are a total of 150. They are divided into three time periods. The first 15 days cover a period of break with the past, aimed at responding to the most urgent needs and embarking on the path of appeasement in France and around the world. The second period is that of the 100 days of government, during which comprehensive laws will be created on purchasing power, education, health care, environmental planning, combating forms of racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and removing privileges for billionaires. The third period of measures is more long-term and is called “ subsequent months of transformation“.
According to the latest polls, the left coalition will get about 29-30 percent. In the European elections, the four parties from the NNF appeared on four separate lists. Of these, the one with the socialists, called “Let's wake up Europe”, got over 13 percent, that of the radical left and that of the environmentalists got respectively 9.8 and 5.5 percent, and the one with the communists, called “United Left” it didn't even get 3 percent.
Split into two right-wing parties for the same reason
In addition to the three main political forces in France, the center-right Republicans, once a classic center-right formation, as well as the far-right Reconquista party, are participating in the elections. For this vote, both parties are divided for the same reasons and it is a “National Assembly”. After the announcement of early elections, the leader of the “Republicans” Eric Ciotti announced an electoral pact with the party of Bardella and Le Pen. But he was not joined by the rest of the “Republicans” who even expelled him from the party, but on several occasions he appealed to French judges and they ruled that Ciotti remained the party leader, which led to a huge division in the party ranks and reflected and on the party's electorate, recalls Bef Em Te Ve.
„Reconquista“ and in the European elections, she nominated five MEPs, which was a great achievement for her. Then party leader Eric Zemur tasked party representative and MEP Marion Marechal Le Pen, who is Marine Le Pen's niece, to negotiate with the National Assembly for unification for early elections. A deal was never reached because, according to Marion Maréchal Le Pen Zemur, there were too many conditions preventing the pre-election pact. As a result, the relative of Marine Le Pen and her three close associates, who are also elected as MEPs in the tenth EP, were thrown out by the "Reconquista", which is also strongly divided in the Euro vote, according to “Euronews” and “IU Active“. Marion Marechal Le Pen has already announced that she will support her aunt in the elections, which marks her return to the fold of the National Assembly.
Polls now give the “Republicans” 8 percent. and 2-3 percent for the “Reconquista“. In the euro vote on June 9, they won respectively 7.2 and 5.5 percent.