Can Marine Le Pen's parliamentary candidates do better?
She may not have won the presidential election in France, but she's going to make an effort in getting party candidates elected to French parliament (presumably with a name change for the party):
The anti-EU firebrand has rejoined the party after she briefly left ahead of the second round of voting for the presidential election last week, where she secured just 34 per cent of the vote.We certainly hope not, but so far, there's no way to be sure, though if the Socialist party collapses, they'll deserve it. If estimates are correct, Le Pen's party could get a few dozen seats this time, which would be getting somewhere. They'll just have to make sure all candidates they're fielding uphold honesty and respect for racial backgrounds, if anything. Religion, on the other hand, should not be given privileges at all costs, even if a difference can be made between what religion is good or bad.
But it is unclear if Ms Le Pen will be standing in the June parliamentary election as Front National position themselves to be a thorn in side of the newly elected president.
Despite winning the top job, Emmanuel Macron faces a bitter fight for power in the parliamentary elections as the centrist battles to push ahead with his progressive politics.
President Macron, who established centrist party En Marche! in April 2016, currently has no members from his own party in parliament.
The Europhile former banker will be forced to forge alliances with other parties to pass legislation through the assembly if he is unable to build a parliamentary majority.
And with a record low turnout and a huge number of abstentions and spoiled ballots, his rise to the presidency may not mean a large return of MPs.
