German politicians are in panic mode, as they fear the election of a far-right government in France could damage relations between Berlin and Paris and stop further EU integration.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) secured a stunning victory in the first round of voting on Sunday.
Her party, led by Jordan Bardella, gained 33.15 percent of the vote, putting it in poll position to win the most seats in the next parliament.
Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance trailed in third place with just 20.76 percent of the vote, while the leftist bloc the New Popular Front came second with 28.14 percent.
The prospect of a far-right government in France has sent shivers down the spines of Germany’s political classes.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the outcome of Sunday’s vote “may cause concern”.
He added: “We are with all the democrats in France. Let’s do everything we can together to protect our great and beautiful Europe and not let far-right populists dominate it.”
The SDP’s Nils Schmid, a foreign affairs spokesperson for the party, accused Macron of being irresponsible in calling the election.
He said it was “a harbinger of political disaster” and had opened the doors to power to France’s far-right.
Sandra Weeser, an MEP for the Liberals, said she was stunned by Macron’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly.
She said: “I was really surprised, to be honest, I had the impression that he was a bit like a spoilt child.”
France’s opposition is scrambling to prevent the far-right from gaining a clear majority in the new parliament.
Centrist and left-wing parties have come together in an alliance, as they desperately try to limit the damage.
More than 200 candidates from various political parties, who came third in their constituencies on Sunday, have dropped out of the race.
The aim is to increase support for those candidates best placed to defeat the RN in the second round.
New pols suggest the political manoeuvring may be paying dividends, as the RN looks set to be denied the majority it craves.
A Harris Interactive survey for Challenges magazine predicts the RN and its allies will win between 190 and 220 seats in the National Assembly.
The parliament has a total of 577 seats, meaning a party requires 289 to have a working majority.
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