In a divided France, voters on the left hope to unite against the far right

Names with a star next to them have been altered to keep identities confidential.

In Paris, France, many people are protesting the snap elections called for by President Emmanuel Macron. This decision came after his party was defeated by the far right in the recent European Parliament vote. Thousands of protesters have marched through the streets in response to this political event.

The protests are directed at both the extreme right and Macron's choice.

In Paris, on June 15th, a group of individuals gathered at Place de la Republique and hiked up the Marianne statue. They then proceeded to walk along the well-known path from Republique to Nation.

The most recent demonstrations in France were triggered by Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party receiving 31.4% of the vote, with Jordan Bardella leading the way. Macron's Renaissance party coalition only managed to secure 14.6% of the vote.

Justine*, a student in Paris, has been assisting with the promotional efforts for various left-leaning political candidates.

The RN is a group filled with hate, rooted in racism, extremism, and capitalism. A government led by the far right could also pose a significant threat to women's rights, she explained to Al Jazeera.

Organizers have been rushing to make arrangements ever since Macron announced the need for surprise elections.

"Justine expressed surprise at the unexpected turn of events. It requires considerable effort to plan everything, especially for less established candidates. They are left with only a 15-day window to complete their registration, which she believes is not truly representative of democracy."

"A Risky Bet"

Macron is hoping that by proposing new elections to take place in two stages on June 30 and July 7, he can rally French voters to reject the far right and create a more positive outcome for centrist parties in upcoming elections.

"It's an extremely risky bet," stated Philippe Marliere, who is a professor of French and European politics at University College London. "Chances are high that he will not win the election."

Macron's party is not expected to win the majority of seats, leaving room for the nationalist and anti-immigration RN party to potentially gain more seats.

If the RN wins the most seats in France's parliament, the National Assembly, Bardella might become the prime minister.

"The impressive outcome... validated the rise of the extreme right," Marliere stated. "Never before has the extreme right surpassed the 30 percent mark in a national election."

Justine believes that the French president's schedule has led to the acceptance of "radical" ideologies.

"Macron is not completely innocent. He has put in place policies that support the far right, and I don't believe he is a leader who prioritizes social or human rights," she remarked.

The RN opposes globalization and immigration, advocating for tighter border restrictions and less environmental regulations. However, in recent years, supporting the RN has become more widely accepted among the French population.

"In this nation, the extreme right has become widely accepted and seen as normal. What worries me is that many people are still surprised," said Rim-Sarah Alouane, a French expert in comparative law at the University Toulouse Capitole, in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Some of Macron's decisions, like his immigration legislation, are attractive to conservative far-right beliefs.

Marliere said that critics claim Macron has taken ideas from the RN's playbook on topics such as immigration, Islam, culture wars, and 'wokeism'. He mentioned that it seems like these ideas are becoming more acceptable to people, leading to a decrease in fear of voting for the party.

Beatrice Chappedelaine, a former educator who resides in Normandy, expressed her dismay over the state of politics and labor conditions in France.

It's not shocking that the RN is gaining popularity, considering the lack of security, high poverty rates, and overall poor conditions of the current government," explained Chappedelaine, a woman in her mid-80s.

Even though she has strong opinions about the current situation in the country, she still plans to participate in the upcoming snap elections.

"I have always participated in voting. To me, it is a responsibility," she stated.

Although she didn't disclose her preferred candidate, she made it clear that she wouldn't be voting for the RN party or the left-wing candidates.

At the same time, experts are concerned that there may be a low voter turnout due to many people being absent during the holiday season.

The voter participation rate in France for the European Parliament elections was 51.4 percent.

Many young voters chose not to vote: 59 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds and 51 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds did not participate in the election.

"I am concerned about the timing of the decision to dissolve the National Assembly, especially during a time when people are going on vacation. The low voter turnout is already a significant issue, and the far-right benefited from this lack of participation in the last election," Alouane expressed.

Expect The Unexpected From The Left

The political party on the left has come together to create an alliance called the Popular Front in an attempt to bring voters together.

The platform promises to raise salaries, decrease the retirement age from 64 to 60, provide improved safeguards for asylum seekers and climate refugees, and support more rigorous climate regulations.

"The left might actually be the unexpected contender in this election," Marliere stated. "There is a chance that the left could come in second place [after RN], with all left-wing parties now united under this coalition known as the Popular Front."

However, the coalition does not symbolize harmony.

According to Marliere, the main focus of the Popular Front is on elections. It is not about all the parties on the left coming together with a new name. The main goal is to have only one candidate per district to avoid being eliminated in the initial voting round.

Baptiste Colin, a 29-year-old theater maker from Lyon, has concerns about the coalition.

Colin expressed to Al Jazeera that he believes a coalition could happen, but there is a lack of a prominent figure on the left. He mentioned that a powerful media personality is needed.

RN has gained the attention of younger voters, receiving backing from 30 percent of individuals aged 18 to 24 and 28 percent of those aged 25 to 34 in the June 9 election.

"The left feels ignored. I supported Macron in the 2022 election and voted against Le Pen, but now I feel like Macron has unintentionally made the RN appear more acceptable. It appears that now he is suggesting that the RN is capable of governing, and we are left with no choice but to decide between the RN and Macron," stated Colin.

Several prominent social media influencers in France have publicly spoken out against the RN party, urging their followers to cast their votes.

France's most popular YouTuber, Squeezie, with a massive following of 19 million subscribers, shared a message on June 14 urging everyone to stand up against a harmful and damaging ideology for the benefit of all citizens in the country.

President Macron's political group no longer has enough seats in parliament to pass laws easily. This is making it difficult for him to push through changes within the country.

Afterwards, his administration has chosen to send proposals into law without a parliamentary vote by using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which includes his contentious retirement legislation.

Not being able to make the changes he wanted might be the reason he chose to end parliament on June 9, according to Marliere.

"It has been very difficult for his party to lead and pass laws because they do not have a majority," he explained. "I believe Macron feels like he has not been able to govern as he had hoped due to this situation. Therefore, his ability to act has been greatly restricted. In a sense, he has been hindered."

Jacques Chirac, who belonged to the conservative party, was the most recent president to decide to hold elections early in 1997. However, the left-wing party ended up winning the majority. As a result, Chirac had to work with the left for five years during his time in office.

No matter which political party they support, French voters understand the significance of the upcoming election.

"In the past, people didn't think legislative elections were very significant. They weren't as big as the presidential election, but now they are crucial," Colin stated.

I have friends who didn't vote last week because they didn't want to or were away, but they plan to vote now because it's become more significant.