French political parties rip themselves to shreds as election descends into farce: Right-wing leader barricades himself in HQ, infighting erupts in left-wing alliance and Le Pen’s niece stabs political partner in the back in ‘world record betrayal’

Four days in to France‘s election campaign, and it has already sunk into chaos.

Parties across the political spectrum are tearing themselves apart as they scramble to form alliances in the wake of Emmanuel Macron‘s snap decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for national parliamentary elections.

The president’s surprise move came in the wake of his party’s disastrous European Parliament election results, and as he hopes to slow the advances of the far right.

Marine Le Pen‘s National Rally (RN) party and other right-wing populist groups, initially buoyed by the European results and the snap announcement, are hoping to seize on the historic moment and win the election – set for June 30 and July 7.

However, things have not gone to plan. Macron’s announcement caught France’s political class off-guard, and gave the country’s parties a matter of days to present candidates, as well as establish strategies and alliances.

Eric Ciotti, leader of the mainstream conservative Republicans party, locked himself in the party’s headquarters after he was ousted for announcing an alliance with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party – as France sunk into political chaos following Emmanuel Macron’s snap decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for national parliamentary elections

Marion Maréchal (centre) – marine Le Pen’s niece and granddaughter of RN’s highly controversial founder Jean-Marie Le Pen – declared on live TV that her nationalist Reconquête party would be backing National Rally. This appeared to come as a surprise to Reconquete’s figurehead, Éric Zemmour (left), who was stood with Maréchal for her address

Macron took aim at the left-wing Popular Front alliance, implying that those who join the newly formed bloc are antisemitic on account of the hard-left Unbowed France (LFI) party, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon (pictured on Saturday), and its support for Palestinians

Eric Ciotti, leader of the mainstream conservative Republicans party, quickly announced a surprise alliance with the RN this week.

However, this prompted the rest of the leadership team to vote him out on Wednesday, with the RN seen as too extreme by many.

Ciotti responded by locking himself in the party’s headquarters in Paris and to take over its X (formerly Twitter) account – declaring that he was still at the helm.

To add to the chaos, Marion Maréchal – marine Le Pen’s niece and granddaughter of RN’s highly controversial founder Jean-Marie Le Pen – declared on live TV that her nationalist Reconquête party would be backing the National Rally.

This appeared to come as a surprise to Reconquete’s figurehead, Éric Zemmour, who cut a bemused figure next to Maréchal as she made the announcement.

Right-wing firebrand Zemmour later declared that Maréchal had committed ‘the world record of betrayals’ as the pair jostled over the party’s direction.

Things appeared to be going smoother on the left of French politics.

France’s left wing parties are today set to unveil their political manifesto after forming the’Popular Front’ alliance to combat the right wing coalition.

On Wednesday, however, Macron took aim at the Popular Front, implying that those who join the newly formed bloc are antisemitic on account of the hard-left Unbowed France (LFI) party, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, and its support for Palestinians.

Alain Finkielkraut, one of France’s foremost Jewish intellectuals, said the Popular Front alliance could force him in to supporting Le Pen ‘to block antisemitism’.

This is despite Jean-Marie Le Pen – Le Pen’s father and the founder of the National Front (which later changed its name to National Rally) – being a vocal holocaust denier who was convicted of inciting racial hatred at least six times.

The growing divisions could for now suit Macron at home, but has likely weakened his position on the world stage, diplomats have said.

Opinion polls suggest that a united left and strengthened far-right could wipe Macron’s centrist coalition off France’s political map.

On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron (pictured Thursday in Italy) took aim at the Popular Front, implying that those who join the newly formed bloc are antisemitic on account of the hard-left Unbowed France (LFI) party, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, and its support for Palestinians

His best hope to avoid a massive defeat in the elections could be to bet on divisions between his opponents forming on both flanks.

Macron is currently in Italy at a meeting of the leaders of the G7. Given his situation at home, he could have been forgiven for seeming a little downcast.

His decision to call the snap vote plunged France has into a rocky political period just weeks before hosting the Olympic Games.

He was all smiles and relaxed as arch-conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greeted him. Yet his dramatic decision has dealt a gut punch to some of his closest allies and weakened him across the bloc, diplomats told Reuters.

They add that he may struggle to exert as much influence in his diplomatic dealings for now, especially as his centrist bloc in the European parliament will be smaller, making it harder for him to influence talks for future EU posts.

For much of the last seven years in power, Macron has billed himself as the leader and kingmaker in Europe, while trying to assert France’s role in crises from Ukraine to the Middle East, despite Paris’ ultimate influence being limited.

His style has grated some, his initiative exasperated others, but he has at the very least been able to weigh on key issues and project France’s image overseas.

‘There will be no more leadership left in Europe. Macron was the last Mohican to try to play this role,’ a senior European diplomat in Paris told Reuters.

Marine Le Pen ‘s National Rally (RN) party and other right-wing populist groups, initially buoyed by the European results and the snap announcement, are hoping to seize on the historic moment and win the election – set for June 30 and July 7. Pictured Le Pen is seen speaking on June 9 along with RN party leader Jordan Bardella, who could become PM

Nevertheless, Macron would have likely been happy to see the infighting between France’s right-wing parties, which came to a head on Thursday.

After Republicans party leader Ciotti announced the surprise alliance with the RN this week, the rest of the party’s leadership team to vote him out Wednesday.

But Ciotti locked himself in the party’s headquarters and on Thursday insisted he was still party leader, dismissing the effort to oust him as ‘quibbles, little battles by mediocre people… who understand nothing about what’s going on in the country’, adding that it was legally void.

‘I’m president of the party, I’m going to my office and that’s it,’ Ciotti told reporters as he arrived at Republicans headquarters in Paris, calling his opponents’ vote a ‘takeover’ attempt and saying he had challenged its validity in court.

Viral images spread on social media the day before of Paris region president Valerie Pecresse rolling up her sleeves as she approached Republicans party headquarters.

The building was closed by Ciotti in an apparent bid to prevent the political committee meeting from going ahead. The committee was forced to meet in a separate building where they voted to oust him.

His opponents even threatened to break down the doors if they had to. ‘We’ll call an ambulance’ if needed, party Vice President Florence Portelli joked.

The party’s Secretary-General Annie Genevard, who called the meeting, eventually arrived at the building with a spare key.

In the midst of the chaos, Ciotti made an appearance at the window. When asked by reporters if he still had access to the party’s facilities, he replied: ‘Almost’.

Eric Ciotti, contested leader of French conservative party Les Republicains looks out a window of the party headquarters in Paris on Thursday after barricading himself inside

Members of Les Republicains (left-to-right) party Michele Tabarot, Annie Genevard, and president of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Laurent Wauqiez, talk the media following an emergency meeting to oust Ciotti as the party’s leader

The press are seen gathered outside of the party’s headquarters in Paris

He appeared more confident in a video posted online from his office. 

In it, he doubled down on his position, saying he was going ‘back to work for France’ while an epic soundtrack played in the background. Meme-makers on French X were quick to liken the situation to Al Pacino’s last stand in the movie Scarface. 

Some on the right remain open to the RN, with Francois-Xavier Bellamy – the party’s lead candidate in Sunday’s European ballot – saying Thursday he would ‘of course’ vote for an RN candidate over the left in a second-round run-off.

‘I’ll do everything to prevent France Unbowed (LFI) coming to power,’ Bellamy told broadcaster Europe 1, referring to the hard-left outfit that has struck an alliance deal with other left-leaning parties.

The lightning election campaign has also shattered the RN’s smaller far-right rival Reconquest over whether to ally with the heavyweight formation.

Marion Marechal, who led Reconquest’s European Parliament list, called for an alliance with the RN and her aunt Marine Le Pen.

Zemmour appeared to be taken by surprise by this call, and was seen in footage raising his eyebrows as Marechal spoke.

‘She’s reached the end of the road, she’s shutting herself out of this party that she’s always despised,’ Zemmour, Reconquest’s founder, said late Wednesday.

While smaller outfits fight amongst themselves, Le Pen’s RN appears set to cruise to a massively increased parliamentary presence from its current 88 out of 577 seats.

The party ‘will come out on top of the election with the largest parliamentary group but short of an absolute majority,’ University College London political scientist Philippe Marliere predicted.

Marion Marechal, Executive Vice President of the French far-right Reconquete party – who is also Marine Le Pen’s neice – is seen on Monday ahead of a meeting with her aunt

French far-right Reconquete party leader Eric Zemmour speaks on June 30

Arguments have also broken out between the left and centrists.

Macron’s chosen Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told broadcaster France Inter Thursday that voters stood before a ‘societal choice’.

Besides the ‘extreme left’ and ‘far right’, Macron’s centrist camp offered a ‘progressive, pro-work, democratic, republican’ alternative, he said.

Attal spent much of his time attacking the left, after Socialists, Communists, Greens and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) reestablished the alliance that broke apart over the response to Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing Gaza conflict.

‘I’m thinking of all the social-democratic voters on the left who don’t see themselves in this,’ Attal said.

Macron’s camp has dubbed itself ‘Ensemble pour la Republique’ (Together for the Republic), a senior member told AFP Thursday after a stategy meeting with Attal and chiefs of allied parites.

Their message will be ‘do you want (RN president) Jordan Bardella or (LFI founder) Melenchon in Matignon,’ the prime minister’s office, a source close to Attal said.

Left-wing leaders were occupied with who might be prime minister if their alliance comes out on top, with LFI’s repeat presidential candidate Melenchon and senior MP Francois Ruffin throwing their hats in the ring.

Socialist Party (PS) chief Olivier Faure said that someone ‘who is not the most divisive but allows us to unite the country’ should be PM – potentially ruling out Melenchon, who attracts fierce loyalty from supporters as well as intense dislike across much of the political spectrum.

Ian Brossat, a communist member of the Senate, said the final deal, which will be presented during a news conference midday, includes the withdrawal of President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular pensions reform which led to protest on the streets.

French President Emmanuel Macron walks next to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the first day of the G7 summit, at the Borgo Egnazia resort, in Savelletri, Italy June 13, 2024. Diplomats have said his electoral troubles at home have weakened him on the world stage

President of the European Council Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen pose for a family photo at Borgo Egnazia resort during the G7 Summit hosted by Italy in Apulia region, on June 13, 2024 in Savelletri

‘There will be the withdrawal of the pensions reform and a return to 60 years (as retirement age)’, Brossat told Public Senat television. Macron’s reform included a gradual rise of the retirement age to 64 from 62 before the overhaul.

Although the left’s chances of winning the elections are slim according to the polls, their tie-up could bundle enough votes to hinder both Macron’s and Le Pen’s camps from reaching a stable governing majority, handing it sizeable political leeway.

The bloc worked together during the previous parliamentary campaign in 2022 before a leadership struggle and policy differences – including on the Gaza war – led to the de-facto collapse of their alliance.

Brossat said the parties managed to agree on a common stance on the conflict in the Middle East, labelling Hamas a ‘terrorist organisation’ while also calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state.