In a divided France, voters on the left hope to unite against the far right

Across France, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets after President Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections in the wake of his party’s defeat at the hands of the far right in the recent European Parliament vote.

The demonstrations are against both the hard right and Macron’s decision.

In Paris, at Place de la Republique on June 15, people climbed the Marianne statue before following the familiar route from Republique to Nation.

France’s newest wave of rallies was sparked by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party winning 31.4 percent of the vote, led by Jordan Bardella. The coalition under Macron’s Renaissance party won just 14.6 percent.

Justine*, a student in Paris, has been working on campaigns for several candidates on the left.

“The RN is a party of hate based on racism and extremism and capitalism. A regime with the far right is also extremely dangerous for women’s rights,” she told Al Jazeera.

Organisers have been scrambling since Macron called for snap elections.

“No one was expecting this. It takes a lot to organise everything, especially for small candidates. We end up only having 15 days before they have to register. It’s not really democratic,” Justine said.

‘A very, very risky gamble’

By calling for new elections, which will be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, Macron is betting on French voters coming out against the far right and setting a new tone – one of better results for the centre in future elections.

“It’s a very, very risky gamble,” said Philippe Marliere, professor of French and European politics at University College London. “He will probably lose that election.”

Macron’s party is unlikely to secure a majority and the nationalist and anti-immigration RN could win even more seats.

If the RN reaches an absolute majority in France’s parliament, the National Assembly, Bardella could become prime minister.