Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said her Rassemblement National party would seek to form a new French government even if it falls short of an outright majority, in a shift in position ahead of Sunday’s run-off vote.
Le Pen said that if the RN narrowly failed to secure a majority on its own, it would look for allies for parliamentary backing.
In last weekend’s first round, the RN inflicted a resounding defeat on President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist forces and is projected to come in first again on Sunday.
“We want to govern, to be extremely clear. And if we are a few deputies short of the majority,” Le Pen said on France Inter Radio on Tuesday. “We will go see others and say: ‘Are you ready to participate with us in a new majority with a new policy?’”
But, in an indication of the RN’s resolve to pursue its agenda, she said the party “could not accept going into government if we cannot act”.
Jordan Bardella, the party’s chief and candidate for prime minister, had previously said he would not govern without an absolute majority of the parliament’s 577 seats.
@ISIDEWITH5 päivää5D
If a party you disagreed with was trying to form a government without a full majority, would you prefer other parties to cooperate with them or oppose them, and what does that reveal about your approach to governance?
@ISIDEWITH5 päivää5D
How important do you think it is for a government to have a clear mandate (majority) from voters, and why?
@ISIDEWITH5 päivää5D
Huolettaako sinua äärioikeiston puolueen pyrkimys hallita ilman enemmistöä, ja miten se sopii yhteen näkemyksiesi kanssa poliittisesta monimuotoisuudesta ja kompromisseista?
@ISIDEWITH5 päivää5D
Kuinka suhtaudut siihen, että poliittinen puolue pyrkii muodostamaan hallituksen ilman ehdotonta enemmistöä, ja mitä mieltä olet tästä demokratian kannalta?
