38 lists contested the European elections in France on June 9 - a new record. This means that 2997 French candidates competed for a total of 81 seats in the European Parliament. The five percent threshold applied, which was reached by a total of 7 parties. This European election in France made it clear that the upheaval in the party system is continuing and that the showdown between right-wing populists and Macronists, which was expected to take place in the presidential elections in 2027, will take place three years earlier. The right-wing populist Rassemblement National is becoming increasingly dominant and is continuing its de-demonization tactics. The change in the party spectrum in France that has been observed since 2017 is therefore progressing. The center seems to be disappearing and the fringes are becoming stronger. As in the 2019 election campaign, the Macron camp was unable to convincingly position Renaissance as the only pro-European option.
Voter turnout
Compared to the 2014 and 2019 European elections, voter turnout rose slightly from 42.4% and 50.1% respectively to 52.5%, but is far below the turnout in the 2022 presidential elections, in which 73.7% of voters took part in the first round. Even the large number of 38 lists on offer could not bring more citizens to the polls.
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