French election: Rivals rally to stop Marine Le Pen’s far-Right party winning power amid clashes in Paris

Rival political parties in France were on Monday scrambling to try to stop Marine Le Pen’s triumphant far right National Rally party taking power after next Sunday’s second round of voting in the country’s general election.

Ms Le Pen’s party and its allies took 33 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s first round of voting in the snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron.

That put it ahead of the left wing New Popular Front alliance, which took 28 per cent of the vote, and President Macron’s Ensemble coalition, which lagged in third on just under 21 per cent.

The victory, which is the first time the far right has exceeded 20 per cent in a parliamentary election, has put the National Rally on course to take power once the second round of voting takes place this weekend.

But as thousands of protesters took to the streets in Paris and other French cities to show their dismay at the prospect, Ms Le Pen’s opponents were striving to persuade voters to shun the party and deny the far-right ultimate victory.

“Our guideline is simple and clear: not a single more vote for the National Rally,” said Jen-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the second placed New Popular Front alliance.

He promised to withdraw all his party’s third placed candidates from the second round of the voting with the aim of bolstering the National Rally’s other opponents.

Gabriel Attal, Mr Macron’s prime minister, also called on voters to stop the National Rally’s ascent into power.

“Not a single vote must go to the National Rally,” he declared in an address outside his Paris residence.

“The stakes are clear - to prevent the National Rally from having an absolute majority.”

The aim of Ms Le Pen’s opponents is to stop her party gaining the 289 seats it needs to gain an absolute majority in France’s 577 seat National Assembly.

Jordan Bardella, the National Rally’s 28-year-old candidate for Prime Minister, delivered a conciliatory message, saying: “I intend to be the prime minister of all French people, to respect the opposition and always to be mindful of the unity of the nation.”

Ms Le Pen admitted that “nothing has been won yet” but said that yesterday’s first round victory for her party showed that voters wanted to “turn the page” on Mr Macron’s “scornful and corrosive” presidency.

Her words highlight the difficulty that Mr Macron, who remains president, will face in trying to share power with a National Rally prime minister and far-right dominated National Assembly.

As well as leaving France politically hobbled, the prospect is already being viewed with concern in other European capitals and is expected to cause problems in France’s relationship with the European Union.

Within France, the National Rally has promised hardline policies on immigration, including the removal of benefits from foreigners, as well as cuts to taxes on energy and a ban on mobile phones in classrooms.