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The leader of France’s main right-wing party on Tuesday backed an alliance with far-right Marine Le Pen to contest early legislative elections, sparking a crisis within his party and anger in the government.
The shock announcement, made in a television interview by Republicans (LR) leader Eric Ciotti, marks the first time in modern French political history that a traditional party leader has endorsed an alliance with the far-right National Rally (RN).
President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that the election would be held on June 30, with a second round on July 7, a major gamble given that the National Front received more than twice as many votes as its centrist coalition in the EU elections.
With less than three weeks until the first round of elections, Macron faces a growing opposition alliance from the left and right, as well as warnings that his gamble could backfire.
A Harris Interactive-Toruna poll published on Monday showed just 19 percent would back him, compared with 34 percent for the far-right National Rally.
But in an interview, Macron ruled out the possibility of resigning after the election.
The upcoming election has set off alarm bells across Europe as it threatens to undermine the interests of France, which has historically been a key player in brokering compromises in Brussels and supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“We need to build alliances while maintaining our own identity … with the RN and its candidates,” Jyoti told TF1 television, adding that he had held discussions with three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and RN leader Jordan Bardella.
Le Pen praised Jyoti’s “brave choice” and “sense of responsibility” and expressed the hope that a considerable number of “Labor Party” figures would follow in his footsteps.
The alliance was confirmed by Badella, who told France 2 television that his party would support “dozens” of LR candidates vying for seats.
Eric Zemmour, leader of the Reconquest Party, which is seen as more right-wing than the Irish National Army, praised the Irish move and called for a “large coalition of right-wing forces.”
– ‘Health cordon’ ends –
LR traces its history back to post-war leader Charles de Gaulle and is the political home of former presidents such as Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy.
Marine Le Pen, the current leader of the Rassemblement Nationale Revolutionaire party in the lower house of the National Assembly, told AFP that now “40 years of false health cordons, which have led to so many electoral defeats, are disappearing”.
But Jyoti said his move was aimed at building a “significant” group in the new national assembly after the election, but it could lead to a split in his own party.
“I see people who are currently agitating for alliances, coalitions and small coalitions. I say right away: I don’t believe in it,” said Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the central Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, who is seen as a 2027 presidential candidate.
LR Senate President and heavyweight Gerard Larcher said he would “never accept” the deal with the RN and called on Jyoti to resign.
But speaking to reporters after the interview, Jyoti said he would not resign and stressed that his tenure depended on party activists.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who defected from Forza Left to Macron’s coalition, denounced the move as a “humiliation for the de Gaulle family” and compared it to the Munich Agreement signed with Nazi Germany on the eve of World War II.
– ‘Right decision’ –
Macron’s office postponed a key news conference originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday, apparently to assess the realignment of political forces.
Macron told Figaro Magazine that he would not resign regardless of the outcome of the early elections.
“I am thinking only of France. It is the right decision and in the interest of the country,” he said, adding that he was ready for a face-to-face debate with Le Pen.
“I compete to win,” he said.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, unhappy with the decision to announce the election, broke two days of public silence to tell TF1 television that he would lead the ruling party’s campaign, according to media reports.
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who leads a party allied with Macron, told BFMTV earlier that it was “not very healthy” for the president to lead the campaign.
France’s deeply divided left parties appeared quickly to put aside differences that had torn their parliamentary coalition apart, notably over differing responses to the Gaza war.
The Socialists, Greens, Communists and far-left France Intransigent (LFI) said they would “support a joint candidate from the first round of the election.”
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