France is currently going through an important political period. In this country, we often hear talk of “left” and “right”. But what does that mean? Thanks to our image, you will understand everything!
Let’s imagine that French politics is an arc. Political parties are located at different points on the arc, depending on their values and projects.
On the far right is the political party National Rally (RN). This party wants to privilege the French over people who live in France, but who come from another country. This principle is called “national priority”.
Jordan Bardella, 28, has been the leader of the National Rally for almost three years. He has become especially known among young people on social media, with his 1.8 million followers on TikTok.
Some ideas from the RN:
- Favor French citizens for employment, housing and certain social benefits;
- Limit immigration;
- Strengthening authority in schools (such as mandatory uniforms or banning cell phones);
- Strengthen security in the country.
In the center we find the party Together. This is the party that is currently in power. It has both right-wing and left-wing ideas.
Emmanuel Macron, 46, has been president of France since 2017 and heads the party.
Some ideas from Ensemble:
- financially help businesses so that everyone can find a job. On the economic front, the party is more to the right;
- Defend human rights. On the social level, the party is more to the left;
- Solving problems related to climate change, security and immigration management by working across Europe.
On the far left, we find the New Popular Front (NFP), which brings together several left-wing political parties. This grouping was recently created to block the extreme right.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, 72, is the leading figure of the NFP. He is the president of his party, La France insoumise, the largest within the NFP.
Some ideas of the New Popular Front:
- Implement measures for ecology and the environment;
- Combating anti-Semitism and Islamophobia;
- Combating violence against LGBTQ+ people;
- Facilitate access to visas for immigrants, that is to say, allow people coming from other countries to settle more easily in France.
So now you see that it has nothing to do with being right-handed or left-handed!
By Mina Dromard, intern journalist at Info ace
Want to know more?
Do you like to understand current events?
Come take a look at lesasdelinfo.com. We also have a whole section for teachers!
An initiative of the Information Coops supported by the Government of Canada.
