French political parties tried to form political alliances after President Emmanuel Macron surprisingly called parliamentary elections, changing the political landscape to three major blocs , points out Reuters, quoted by BTA.
From the far-right "National Assembly" to the left-wing "New People's Front" and Macron's centrist alliance called "Together", here is an overview of the campaign promises made ahead of the second round of voting:
FAR-RIGHT "NATIONAL ASSEMBLY"
The Eurosceptic party "National Assembly" of Marine Le Pen wins the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, but may fall short of an absolute majority.
She made a deal with Eric Ciotti, who led the conservative Republicans until most of her politicians cut ties with him after his pact with the far right.
"The National Sor" commits to:
*Balancing household spending by reducing taxes on fuel, petrol and oil;
*Repeal of Macron's proposal to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62, despite ignoring his previous promise to lower the retirement age to 60 for budgetary reasons;
*Leaving the common EU electricity market to offer lower electricity prices at national level;
*Improving access to public health care in rural areas;
*Strengthening criminal penalties for drug-related crimes and violence against police officers;
*Reduction of welfare benefits for families of juvenile delinquents;
*Reduce immigration, loosen rules on deportation of undocumented migrants, limit migrant family reunification;
*The criminalization as a crime of staying in France without permission.
LEFT "NEW POPULAR FRONT"
Political parties representing the left wing, from the moderate socialists and the Greens to the hardline communists and "Unyielding France" of Jean-Luc Mélenchon agreed to form a "New Popular Front".
The Left Bloc is committed to:
*Limiting the prices of basic goods such as fuel and food;
*Increasing the minimum wage to 1,600 euros per month net;
*Increasing the salaries of public sector workers;
*Introduction of wealth tax, revision of inheritance tax;
*Stopping new highway construction projects;
*Adoption of rules to combat the wastage of drinking water;
*Abolish Macron's pension reform and push for "right to retire" aged 60;
*Ending "austerity" within the framework of EU budget rules;
*Reforming Europe's common agricultural policies.
MACRON'S CENTRIST ALLIANCE
In the political center, Macron has called on moderate parties to join his election alliance against political extremes in the political center so far without much success, Reuters notes.
The president, who warned of the risk of "civil war", is trying to present his camp as the last hope for stability.
Macron's centrist bloc is committed to:
*Pushing the stop button on France's unemployment reform to tighten welfare rules;
*Continue to create jobs by supporting pro-business policies;
*Rejection of tax increases for households;
*Linking pensions to inflation and protecting purchasing power;
*Release employers' fees to make it easier to raise wages for low-income workers;
*Creating inexpensive supplemental health insurance for those in need;
*Accounting for the country's budget deficit and opposing indiscriminate spending;
*A tougher approach to juvenile delinquency.