Surprise and relief: The Press collected on Sunday the immediate reactions of French nationals to the results of the second round of the legislative elections, which placed the left in the lead.
“Phew, that’s good!” exclaims Rémy Maillot, placing his hand on his chest as if to catch his breath.
Until a few minutes ago, the young man thought it was over.
After a historic breakthrough in the first round of the legislative elections, the National Rally (RN) was in the lead when the polls opened on Sunday.
Against all expectations, the far-right party is expected to finish in third place, behind the left-wing alliance of the New Popular Front (NFP) and the Macronist camp.
“It’s a relief,” sums up Rémy, who we met on Mont-Royal Avenue. “We were really, really stressed.”
According to him, the party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has changed the French political climate by normalizing speeches that would have been “unacceptable” a few years ago.
They have always been provocative. “It’s so-and-so’s fault, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” But they never have any concrete solutions.
Rémy Maillot, left-wing voter
Further on, Adam Ait Aarab could also breathe a sigh of relief. “I was a bit pessimistic,” he admits straight away. Originally from Reunion Island, the young man has lived in Quebec for ten years.
According to his family, the atmosphere has been anxious on French territory since the first round. How can we explain these results which have caused surprise beyond France?
“I think people have been educating themselves during the week. And I think the alliances to stand together [à l’extrême droite] “They walked,” Adam says.
According to him, the RN’s speeches are at best “incoherent” and at worst “dangerous”, particularly on the issue of dual nationals, whom the party wanted to exclude from certain “strategic” positions.
“I understand that people are fed up and want to see something else, but we must not forget that,” the young man emphasizes.
Sitting on a restaurant terrace, a French tourist has a different story. “It scares me. It’s the far left that’s come through,” says Richard, who didn’t want to give his full name.
“It scares me for businesses, taxes, France’s public debt,” he lists. He fears that the left-wing alliance “will not hold,” plunging the country back into crisis.
Let’s not be mistaken: the man does not like the RN any more. But he would still have preferred it to the NFP. “It’s the plague or cholera,” he jokingly compares.
“I think that the problems that the yellow vests have raised have never been resolved. It is a protest vote. Whether left or right, the French no longer believe in politics.