The last two years have been a landmark occasion for a number of populist radical right parties across Europe. A number have even entered into coalition government, most notably in Italy and in Austria..The electoral success of the radical right[1]has also not been confined to just western Europe. At the same time, in central-eastern Europe, former conservative centre-right party Fidesz has now made a full ideological transformation to becoming a populist radical right party in Hungarian politics and is dominating the political system with its two-thirds ‘supermajority’ secured at the 2018 national parliamentary elections. 2017 and 2018 were thus landmark years for populist radical right party successes and further electoral setbacks for mainstream political parties in Europe.
Two years on from the historic electoral ‘rise’ of Emmanuel Macron as French President, this article examines the French political landscape – in particular ‘protest politics’ in France alongside latest polling evidence and how the current political climate appears to be favouring Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally) Party. It briefly outlines the implications for the upcoming 2019 EU Parliament elections in France and the future of French politics.
Volatility: the French political landscape in 2019
President Emmanuel Macron’s historic election victory in 2017 appeared to herald a new era of French politics, having defeated the populist radical right Front National under Marine Le Pen in the Presidential run-off and his centrist En Marche Party (On The Move, LaREM) sweeping up seats from both left and right alike in the French National Assembly.
