Le Pen

The leader of France's traditional right-wing party on Tuesday backed an alliance with the far right of Marine Le Pen in snap legislative elections, triggering a crisis within his own party and fury from the government.

Far-right parties rattled the traditional powers in the European Union with major gains in parliamentary seats, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron, who called snap legislative elections.

The outcome showed the 27-nation bloc's parliament membership has clearly shifted to the right.

The final outcomes of the French vote have been officially declared this morning, providing clarity on the nation's political landscape.

Far-right gains in EU elections triggered a political earthquake in France on Sunday, with President Emmanuel Macron calling snap legislative polls in a high-risk move.

Though centrist mainstream parties kept an overall majority in the European Parliament, across the bloc extreme right parties notched a string of high-profile wins.

The final — and by far biggest — day of EU elections started Sunday with voting due in 21 member countries, including France and Germany, where support for surging far-right parties is being tested.

Polling stations opened in Greece and a string of other member states along the European Union's eastern edge, with voting elsewhere set to begin shortly.

France's far-right National Rally (RN) party holds a commanding lead in voting intentions for upcoming European Parliament elections, according to an opinion poll published on Sunday.

Voting intentions remained "very volatile," however, said the Elabe institute, which conducted the polls for broadcaster BFMTV and weekly La Tribune Dimanche.

French authorities are bracing themselves for nationwide protests by agricultural workers scheduled for Monday in Paris. The farmers, dissatisfied with their pay and living conditions, have intensified their demonstrations over the past week, employing highway blockades and causing damage to public property, including government offices.

Democracy is under threat across the world. Fewer people today live in democracies than did two decades ago. Opposition to democracy, and to capitalism, has grown as populists launch "culture wars" - cruelly exploiting migrants and minorities - and appeal to the socially and economically excluded. This is a cocktail variously stirred by Trump, Brexit, Modi, Le Pen, Orban and Meloni.

Macron's option expected to win an absolute majority, as in the previous elections in 2017.
The Parisian "Le Monde" estimates that it is a "nightmare" for the head of state who called on the French to give him clear and convincing support during the campaign, and that Macron is now facing cohabitation and serious difficulties in implementing his policy.

French President Emmanuel Macron faced the daunting challenge of uniting a deeply divided nation Monday after winning re-election in a battle against Marine Le Pen that saw the far right come its closest yet to taking power.

Centrist Macron won 58.54 percent of the vote in the second-round run-off compared with 41.46 for Le Pen, according to final results from the interior ministry.