Stories du Moment
Stories du Moment
Making sense of the European elections, Olympics updates, food news and more
In a recent edition of this newsy series, I asked you all to keep your eyes on a young man who was being thrust into the limelight to represent Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party in the European elections. Plenty of media outlets warned that 28-year-old Jordan Bardella’s clean-cut charm, practiced composure, staggering popularity on TikTok, where his audience exceeds 1.5 million followers, and youthful good looks were among the many signs of trouble ahead.
Much like his far right peers elsewhere in Europe, his use of TikTok to win the youth vote has paid off: His and Le Pen’s Make France Great Again-style party brought in 31% of the votes in yesterday’s European elections which gives the party 30 parliamentary seats— double President Macron’s Renaissance party. What this tells us is that it doesn’t matter that Bardella’s grasp on issues is tenuous, or that he represents merely a slick repackaging of the same toxic, xenophobic, and homophobic foundation established and nurtured by Le Pen, father and daughter. What we should take away from this is that to a significant portion of the electorate, what matters is that he is not the status quo, he is not Macron, the faux-centrist megalomaniac. He is something else and he is mainstream. If it sounds a bit like the narrative after Trump was first elected in 2016, despite all of his red flags, it’s because it is, indeed, very, very similar.
When you combine his win with the results of Eric Zemmour’s party, headlined by Le Pen’s equally fascisty niece Marion Maréchal, the far right actually won more than 36% of the vote. It has become normalized. Naturally, for those for whom a radical right-wing vote is inconceivable, this is all very alarming.
It all hits harder when juxtaposed with the 80th D-Day anniversary commemoration last Thursday, where allied leaders gathered and recalled freeing Europe from Nazism.
Whenever I speak about the far right’s resurgence with my father, someone who grew up post WWII with a palpable connection to war, he remarks that what we’re seeing is declining cultural memory and a generation that isn’t inculcated with a real understanding of fascism’s impact. Heading down these pathways will invariably lead to the darkest moments in history repeating itself.
So, what happens now?
After the far right’s sweeping victory at a European level, President Macron leaned on article 12 of the constitution and dissolved the Assemblée Nationale, the lower house of French parliament, announcing snap legislative elections for June 30 and July 7. It’s not unprecedented but it is the first time a leader has made such a move following poor European election results. You might be wondering why he’d do this in the first place and for that, it’s worth remembering that these European elections were, at least for France, a litmus test ahead of the Presidential election in 2027. How is Macron’s leadership perceived? Very poorly. How far right might the politics go in the coming years? Quite far.
As Jean-Philippe Derosier, the professor of public law at the University of Lille, told Roger Cohen at the NYT, the legislative elections are “not the same election, not the same form of ballot, and not the same stakes. Macron apparently feels it’s the least bad choice to have a possible National Rally prime minister under his control, rather than a Le Pen victory in 2027.”
Le Monde’s English edition has outlined some of the implications of this move:
Dissolving the Assemblée is a weapon that allows the president to extricate France from an institutional crisis or gridlock, such as when the presidency and the parliamentary majority are unable to work together.
Early parliamentary elections are held in the same format as conventional parliamentary elections, with a two-round majority vote in each constituency.
Current legislative projects have been suspended altogether.
Bills in progress can be revisited in the next legislature if the new government presents them to the new Assemblée Nationale. However, they will have to restart the legislative process from scratch.
Since the last legislative elections, Macron’s party has not held an absolute majority. It has been tough to govern. Early elections are a risky way of trying to regain that majority control but the more likely outcome is either a hung parliament or a cohabitation wherein a president and prime minister from opposing political parties have to govern together. Then, more chaos and more gridlock ensue.
Why would Macron go forward with this knowing the risks? Some of the theories circulating are a variation of the following:
So, show the people what happens when the far right is in power and expect them to be outraged and vote differently in the Presidential elections. If that is, in fact, Macron’s thinking, he’s not been paying attention to global political outcomes.
As of last night, the left (including the extreme, polarizing left) have united under a reborn Popular Front and hope to influence the balance. Will it work? We have 20 days to find out. But I keep thinking about the ways in which the state of French politics mirrors the way political turmoil in the U.S. has unfolded in the last ten years. One of my readers articulated the stakes perfectly:
COUNTDOWN TO THE OLYMPICS
The city’s transformation from metropolis to Olympic playground is almost complete as the Games begin in less than two months. Some things related to that:
The Louvre moonlighting as a dance and exercise hub for the lucky few
How cool is this? Check out the NYT piece for the photos, and The New Yorker for a more engaging story by
Much of Paris is staying OPEN during the Olympics, despite the usual summer holidays. I reported on this for the NYT travel section, which you can read here.
File under: the many reasons the Olympics is unsustainable even if its infrastructure is. Thousands of homeless people, including asylum seekers, have been removed from Paris and surrounding areas in the run-up to the Games. (The Guardian)
OTHER READS
Proud of this one for the Times, as it was in the works for many many months! All about the birthplace of nature tourism in France in Fontainebleau, one of my favorite spots in the country.
This piece on Alain Ducasse captures him perfectly. He’s not the warmest man nor the easiest person to interview— even in French — but he and his team make a good restaurant and damn good chocolate. (Esquire)
Where should you eat in Paris? Along with a group of other writers, I worked on an update to this guide for Eater! From me, you’ll find the best food-focused getaways outside of Paris, some of the best places to stock up on pastry, and a look at some of the exciting new restaurants in the city.
LISTEN OF THE WEEK
One of my favorite writers, thinkers and unwitting comedians joined me on The New Paris Podcast to discuss everyday Paris, café culture, and a handful of his other keen observations that further affirm how special and weird this city truly is. I hope you’ll take the time to listen to my chat with
, the writer and longtime editor of The Happy Reader.LOL OF THE WEEK
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It's been a double punch to the gut, right? First the extent of the far right's support in numbers and breadth across France, then Macron dissolving parliament. I know that where I live in Pantin, few voted for the far right, but in the bucolic village that seemed so friendly to me where we have our country house, the National Front -- oh, sorry, Rally -- party alone got over 37 percent of the vote. Now I feel afraid where I felt so safe. Also, we now have to curtail two summer weekends in the country to come back to Pantin to vote on June 30 and July 7. We are absolutely going to do this and will absolutely vote Front Populaire to try to block a fascist takeover of France but c'est chiant! (As we say in good French.)
I agree with your father. My grandfather smuggled young men hiding from the Germans into Spain across The Pyrenees. My parents were children during WWII in France. I grew up hearing stories about the horror that was Nazi occupied Europe. But my parents are gone and so are most of the people who lived through it. And those of us who heard the stories are getting old. Soon it’ll be treated like ancient history.