the call for the withdrawal of “democratic forces” to block the RN in the second round does not convince everyone

More than 200 personalities call in a column in the newspaper “Le Monde” for a withdrawal agreement between “democratic forces” to block the National Rally in the second round. The initiative divides.

The boss of the PS Olivier Faure, the boss of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier but also the Macronist minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and her former colleague Clément Beaune ask in a column published, Tuesday June 25, in the newspaper Le Monde to “democratic forces to agree to prevent the RN from obtaining a majority“. The authors of this column believe that a withdrawal agreement “should be clearly displayed now without waiting for June 30″the first round of the legislative elections, “by the leaders of all democratic forces, whether they belong to the New Popular Front, the outgoing majority or the Republican right”, by announcing now the choice not to maintain candidates who came third to prevent the election of RN deputies in three-way contests.

In their scenario, in the second round LFI would have to support the Macronists – and vice versa – for anti-Ciotti LRs to withdraw for LFI or ecologists… The rebels did not sign this platform, but certain executives say that ‘we will have to look at the constituencies “case by case” so that Jordan Bardella does not have an absolute majority.

The tenors of the current majority addressed this thorny issue Tuesday afternoon with Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Attal. “The baseline is neither RN nor LFI, because no one wants the RN and not many people want LFI,” summarizes a leader, “but the President of the Republic has not decided anything.” “We are playing the first round against the RN and the New Popular Front until the end, and for the second round we will see this weekend“, evacuates another, angry to see Macronists speaking of withdrawal when their colleagues “are campaigning for their survival”. In short, it is urgent to wait, with a double pitfall for the Macronists: trying to have a common line on Sunday, when some suggest analyzing the constituencies. Are there reserves of votes so that a Macronist who came third has a chance of winning or not? Is the better-placed left-wing candidate LFI or PS? There it would be easier to give up.

The non-ciottist right is also invited to take a position on the question of withdrawal, but an LR leader chokes: “We are not going to withdraw for people who signed the charter of the New Popular Front!” Someone close to Laurent Wauquiez says: “we do not consider that LFI is in the republican forces”. François-Xavier Bellamy, who has co-led LR since Eric Ciotti allied himself with Jordan Bardella, says he would vote for RN in the event of a duel with the New Popular Front. He is in phase with a number of right-wing voters, according to elected officials who survey the field. In any case, LR will perhaps not really have to ask itself the question of withdrawal. Where they are well established they hope to come in first or second position. Elsewhere, they risk being relegated much lower than the qualification threshold. “The withdrawal, creaks an elected official, It’s a problem of the rich.”