The 2024 European elections were indicative of a growing center-right and far-right trend in Europe.   

The impact was particularly felt in France, where after the massive success of the far-right National Front, center-right president Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections, to national and international surprise. 

The Wire’s contributor Jahan Rezakhanlou asked Bertrand Bourgeois, senior lecturer of French Studies at the University of Melbourne about the European elections and their impact on French politics.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: Thank you for joining us, Bertrand.

Bertrand Bourgeois: Thank you. Jahan.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: What do the European elections entail for someone who doesn’t know anything about them?

Bertrand Bourgeois: The European elections take place every five years, at around the same date in every member state of the European Union. So they took place between the sixth and 9th of June. The goal is for every country to elect a proportional number of political representatives from their country, to become members of the European Parliament members that then will vote laws and regulations pertaining to all aspects of the European Union. Transnational. So there are a total of 720 seats in 2024. So at the moment to be allocated in the European Parliament. And each country gets proportional number of seats based on their population, some calculation. So Germany followed by France. Currently are the two countries having the highest number of seats. So for instance France has 81 seats of the European Parliament to to allocate. And so French citizen on June 9th voted to elect 81 candidates from various French political parties to become members of the European Parliament.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: So what is the main takeaway of this year’s European elections?

Bertrand Bourgeois: So what is it showing at this stage across all Europe? Is that the conservative right reinforces its position as the first political force of the European Parliament? Classic conservative right party, let’s say, with a total of 189 seats, while Social Democrats remains the second force. But I believe what is quite striking and worrying for some, especially in France, is the strong result nationalistic, far-right party. So, for instance, in France, the National Rally party securing a total of 30 seats at the European Parliament out of the 81 promised to French members.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: So a lot of people are now talking about the snap elections that Emmanuel Macron just declared. Could you maybe tell us why exactly they’ve happened?

Bertrand Bourgeois: The results of the European election are a clear political defeat for Emmanuel Macron, especially since the Nationalist Party’s campaign was heavily based on encouraging the voters to voting for them. Was signaling a vote against Macron. Liberal politics. With the results of this vote as a clear disavowal of Macron’s politics and government, although we have to take into consideration that 48% of people didn’t vote, it’s common with European election, but basically what Macron saw is he clearly see that it was not feeling supported by French people, and he dissolved the French legislative Assembly and then called for a snap election. So basically, as a result of the European elections, French people are now being called to vote in three weeks in national elections to decide of the political majority of the members of the French Legislative Assembly. So the French political system, if the president doesn’t hold a political majority at the French assembly, he has to nominate a prime minister, reflecting the political maturity of the Assembly. Even in this election that Macron has now called the Rassemblement National, would get the majority of seats at the French assembly, which would then mean that we would have what we call in France a cohabitation government between Macron, a president from centre right and a prime minister from from the far right. So it would therefore make make it very difficult to govern France for the first time that a far right conservative party, uh, forms part of a government in France. That being said, 48% of people didn’t vote against Macron. And political forces in France are currently thinking, hoping now more French people will vote.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: Do you think this have any impacts on Australia or the diaspora in Australia?

Bertrand Bourgeois: There would be not really any direct repercussions since Australia is quite far from France and European politics, but that being said, there are some agreements, such as trade agreements between Australia and France or Europe that could very well change or be cancelled. There would be a lot of indirect repercussions in Australia, since this nationalistic turn that we’re currently seeing happening in Europe implies stronger immigration policies, pro-nationalist policies, and they can be very detrimental to diapora and various communities and populations around the world, including in Australia.

Jahan Rezakhanlou: Thank you very much, Bertrand.

Bertrand Bourgeois: You’re very, very welcome, Jahan.