‘Today, the Rassemblement National has achieved the biggest advance in its history.’ But the far-right leader saying these words was angry.
‘The alliance of dishonour’ between president Emmanuel Macron and ‘far-left groups’, Jordan Bardella continued, ‘has denied the French people a policy of putting the nation back on its feet, which they massively supported by giving us the most votes’. His party had easily topped the first round of France’s legislative elections with 33 per cent of the vote, and a leading position in 297 of 577 constituencies. But tactical voting by its opponents in the 7 July runoffs limited its total to 143 seats, around a quarter of parliament – and far short of the majority that Bardella and his mentor Marine Le Pen saw in touching distance.
