France's parties launch new push after far right success
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2024
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Efforts by centrist and left-wing blocs in France to stop the far right National Rally from winning an overall parliamentary majority in next Sunday's second round have seen more than 150 of their candidates drop out. Such tactics -- traditionally known as a 'Republican Front' -- have been successful in previous elections. We speak to one of President Macron's Ministers.
Also in the programme: Donald Trump has hailed as a 'big win' for democracy the Supreme Court's ruling giving him substantial immunity from prosecution for actions taken in his former role as president. We hear from a Democratic Congresswoman; and is Sweden the dream location to start a family? New parents can now gift maternity or paternity pay to friends and family who help out.
(Photo: Jordan Bardella has vowed only to be French prime minister if his National Rally (RN) party wins an absolute majority. Credit: Reuters/Benoir Tessier)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, |
| 0:04.0 | welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:07.0 | I'm Paul Henley. |
| 0:08.0 | The program's coming to you live from London. |
| 0:10.0 | President Macron and representatives of the French left wing are intense negotiations |
| 0:16.2 | tonight about a deal that would unite them to try to prevent the far right taking |
| 0:20.9 | an absolute majority in parliamentary elections. |
| 0:24.5 | The President's gamble of calling early elections appears to have backfired after the |
| 0:28.8 | extremist national rally won a resounding victory in yesterday's first round of polling. |
| 0:34.0 | If the far right win an outright majority in the second round next weekend, |
| 0:39.0 | they'd be able to form a government and make 28-year-old Jordan Bardella prime minister. He said he was |
| 0:45.4 | confident he and his allies could cross that line to power. |
| 0:49.2 | I think the Assembly of National, can't import it this election demand I was a majority absolute |
| 0:55.0 | and with these allies, |
| 0:56.5 | and also the Republicans, |
| 0:58.0 | a direct, direct, |
| 0:59.0 | so my ambition is a majority absolute demand. |
| 1:02.0 | I'll not the French |
| 1:02.8 | unrest and mobilize. And I'm so evidently. |
| 1:06.0 | On the basis... |
| 1:07.0 | He said he believed the national rally could win the election on Sunday |
| 1:09.8 | with an absolute majority. |
... |
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