The left-wing French party, the New Popular Front, is expected to defeat the country’s far-right party in the French parliamentary elections, creating excitement in the United States.
CNN reported Sunday that the left-wing group is “projected to win between 172 and 192 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest party, but falling short of the 289 seats needed to form an absolute majority,” meaning it would finish ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition. The change came as a surprise to some observers, as Marine Le Pen’s far-right party was reportedly in the lead in earlier projections.
But for historian and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben Ghiat, it’s not so shocking.
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““There is a trend here, folks,” she said Sunday. “There is a rising tide of anti-authoritarianism. This is the cycle of history.”
She recommended taking a “long-term view” by examining “how these cycles have played out in the past.”
“The French left has shown exactly how to fight fascism – on the offensive,” said researcher Anat Shenkar-Osorio. “Le Pen tried to distance herself from her policies, but the left gave her no room at all.”
She continued, “They’ve skillfully engineered a debate between the very divided far-left and the center to thwart the right.”
“They made the personal danger of a fascist regime clear to even the most disaffected voters,” she added. “Using humor and history, they made the most of their very short campaign.”
“France shows the benefits of two-round voting,” said Edward Roos, deputy editor of the Financial Times.
“It gives anti-fascists time to regroup and organize a strategic vote,” Roos added. “It’s very impressive.”
Actor Billy Baldwin echoed France’s prediction on Sunday, saying:In Britain, the left dominated the right.He crushed the French right.. We plan to do the same in November.”
