(Paris) Marine Le Pen, whose far-right party is on the brink of power in France, upped the ante three days before the first round of voting, saying the title of “chief of the armed forces” for the president of the Republic was only “honorary”, attracting the wrath of the presidential camp and its allies.
In the event of the great success of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen outlined, in an interview with the newspaper Télégramme, a tough cohabitation with center-right president Emmanuel Macron: “Chief of the armed forces, for the president, it is a honorary title since it is the Prime Minister who holds the purse strings.” Consequence, according to her: “on Ukraine, the president will not be able to send troops”, while Emmanuel Macron refused to exclude this option.
The post of prime minister will go to the far-right party, probably to RN leader Jordan Bardella, if it wins an absolute majority in the Assembly at the end of the elections on June 30 and July 7.
“The Constitution is not honorary,” retorted the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, recalling that under this text, the President of the Republic “negotiates and concludes treaties”, is the head of the armed forces and “presides over defense.”
Previously, Marine Le Pen had seemed to qualify her initial remarks on budgetary control, the means of opposing” the sending of troops abroad.
“If we come to the responsibilities […], it is not to pretend,” added the vice-president of the RN Sébastien Chenu, evoking other “red lines” such as the refusal to deliver long-range weapons to Kyiv. scope.
The RN, which has long maintained close ties with Moscow, officially supports Ukraine, but its policy if it comes to power raises serious concerns in Europe.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was optimistic. “We believe that the French will continue to support Ukraine whatever the political situation,” he said in an exclusive comment to AFP.
“We are confident that the next government will be independent of the Russian aggressor and will remain committed to European values and a strong and united Europe, the very Europe that Ukraine defends against Russian tyranny,” he added .
During the three previous political cohabitations in France, the president had retained broad powers in matters of international policy and defense, by virtue of this “reserved domain”.
For the moment, the far right is largely in the lead in the first round on Sunday, with 36% of voting intentions, according to an Ipsos-Jean-Jaurès-Cevipof-Institut Montaigne-Institut Montaigne survey of nearly 12,000 people. people.
According to this vast study, which does not offer seat projections, the left would gather 29% of the votes, President Macron’s camp 19.5% and Les Républicains (traditional right) 8%.
But the 577 elections, in each constituency, contain many unknowns, the equations being called upon to be profoundly disrupted between the two rounds depending on the retentions, the withdrawals, or even according to the voting instructions.
A only relative majority would also open the prospect of a possible institutional blockage, reinforced by the refusal of far-right leader Jordan Bardella to form a government if he does not have an absolute majority.
Blocking the far right from the gates of power or refusing to choose?
The presidential camp, which since the start of the campaign has placed the far right and the radical left of France Insoumise (LFI, member of the left alliance) back to back, has not yet taken a position. But it could move towards the slogan “neither RN, nor LFI”.
On the left, the leader of LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a foil for centrist voters, but also within the New Popular Front alliance, declared Wednesday evening that he would ask his voters not to vote RN in the second turn, where left-wing candidates will no longer be present.
Until then, representatives of the three blocs are expected on television Thursday evening for a final debate, 24 hours before the end of the official campaign set for Friday at midnight.
Jordan Bardella for the RN and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will cross swords. The left will be represented by the boss of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure.
