France prevents far-right takeover, but its famed 'cordon sanitaire' has cracks

Besting all expectations, France’s leftist coalition pulled off an upset victory over the populist National Rally that quelled, for now, fears of a far-right takeover in a nation with a long history of keeping the far right out of government and at society’s fringes.

PARIS — Besting all expectations, France’s leftist coalition pulled off an upset victory over the populist National Rally that quelled, for now, fears of a far-right takeover in a nation with a long history of keeping the far right out of government and at society’s fringes.

For more than half a century, France’s centrist and leftist parties maintained an effective firewall, known as the "cordon sanitaire," or "Republican front," against the far right. After the election’s first round, leftist and centrist parties would endorse each other’s candidates or persuade the lesser vote-getter to stand down, essentially pooling their votes and clearing a path to defeat the far-right candidate. 

That firewall held in Sunday’s second round of voting, to the surprise of pollsters who predicted a strong National Rally showing and to the relief of leftists and centrists across Europe scouring France’s vote for signs of the political crosscurrents.

In the first round, the National Rally — a populist rebranding of France's old National Front party — won the most votes and appeared poised to win control of parliament. Then the left joined forces with President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition and hundreds of third-place candidates dropped out. The consolidation relegated the National Rally in the final vote to third place, exit polls show.

"The French have spoken," conceded Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old National Rally leader, who was poised to become France’s next prime minister had his party swept to victory Sunday. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/europe/frances-far-right-firewall-holds-signs-cracks-rcna160628

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