German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hope that the extreme right will not come to power in France, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that Social Democrat Scholz has expressed clear political preferences in the neighboring country for the first time.
The German chancellor did not hide his concern over the fact that the far-right party "National Assembly" took first place with a convincing lead in Sunday's first round of French parliamentary elections. The second round is coming up on July 7.
Scholz called the situation in France "depressing". "In any case, I am crossing my fingers that the French, whom I love and appreciate so much, the country that means so much to me, will not allow the formation of a government led by a right-wing populist party," he said yesterday.
Germany and France are the backbone of the European Union, and a political change in either country can change the balance in the entire bloc, notes Reuters.
In Germany itself, support is growing for the far-right party "Alternative for Germany", which came second in the country in last month's European Parliament elections. Parliamentary elections in the largest European economy are coming up in the fall of next year.