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🇫🇷 France /Elections & Politics

Bayrou warns France faces a “lethal danger” in a second-round RN-LFI presidential contest

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • François Bayrou said France would face a “lethal danger” if the 2027 presidential election reached a second round between the National Rally and La France Insoumise.
  • He argued that either party’s victory would threaten the European Union and rejected Marine Le Pen’s proposed 125 billion euros in savings as unrealistic.
  • The French Communist Party is expected to announce whether Fabien Roussel will seek the presidency, while Boris Vallaud endorsed Raphaël Glucksmann for a social-democratic primary.

France would face “a lethal danger” if the 2027 presidential election ended in a second-round contest between the National Rally and La France Insoumise, François Bayrou said on Europe 1. The former prime minister described the scenario as “the worst-case squeeze” facing the country.

a lethal danger

· François BayrouBayrou used the phrase to describe a possible second-round presidential contest between the National Rally and La France Insoumise.

Bayrou said either party winning would have the same consequence: “The European Union collapses.” He also criticized Marine Le Pen’s proposed plan for 125 billion euros in savings, calling it “a joke.” No government, he argued, could achieve savings of that scale instantly, noting that the state budget totals 400 billion euros.

He dismissed the National Rally’s proposed savings from cutting immigration credits, ending France’s contribution to the European Union and abolishing 170 French agencies as neither realistic nor reasonable. In his view, a primary should bring together everyone who rejects an alliance with Jean-Luc Mélenchon and everyone who rejects an alliance with Le Pen.

The European Union collapses.

· François BayrouHe said either party winning the election would have this consequence.

Bayrou said those forces would need to fight to ensure that a candidate offering an alternative to what he called the dramatic confrontation between the extremes reached the second round.

a joke

· François BayrouHe used the phrase to dismiss Marine Le Pen’s proposed plan for 125 billion euros in savings.

The political left was also weighing its options. Since Thursday, members of the French Communist Party have been voting on Fabien Roussel’s candidacy, with the result expected Sunday evening. Roussel led the party again after its July congress and won 2.28% of the vote in the 2022 presidential election. Socialist parliamentary leader Boris Vallaud, meanwhile, said Raphaël Glucksmann was “best placed and best prepared on the left” for a social-democratic primary, while declining to take a clear position on Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.

best placed and best prepared on the left

· Boris VallaudVallaud used the phrase to explain his support for Raphaël Glucksmann in a social-democratic primary.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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