By Tassilo Hummel
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s political parties have scrambled to form political alliances after President Emmanuel Macron’s surprise move to call a parliamentary election, reshaping the political landscape into three large blocs.
From the far-right National Rally to the leftwing New Popular Front and Macron’s centrist alliance called ‘Together’, here is an overview of the campaign pledges made ahead of Sunday’s second voting round:
FAR-RIGHT NATIONAL RALLY
Marine Le Pen’s eurosceptic National Rally party is seen wining the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, but may fall short of an absolute majority.
It has struck a deal with Eric Ciotti, who led the conservative Republicans until most of its politicians cut ties with him following his pact with the far right.
The National Rally has pledged to:
*Shore up household spending with tax cuts on gas, petrol and oil
*Reverse Macron’s lifting of the retirement age to 64 from 62, although it has watered down a previous promise to reduce the legal retirement age further to 60 due to budget constraints.
*Leave the joint EU electricity market to offer lower power prices nationally
*Improve public health access in rural areas
*Toughen criminal sanctions for drug crimes and violence against police officers
*Cut welfare benefits for families of adolescent serial offenders
*Reduce immigration, loosen rules to expel undocumented migrants, restrict family reunions
*Make staying in France without a residence permit a criminal offence
LEFT-WING NEW POPULAR FRONT
Political parties representing the left-wing, from the moderate Socialists and Greens to the more hardline Communists and Jean-Luc Melenchon’s ‘France Unbowed’ have agreed to form a “New Popular Front”.
The left-wing bloc has pledged to:
*Cap prices of essential goods like fuel and food
*Raise the minimum wage to 1,600 euros a month net
*Hike wages for public sector workers
*Impose a wealth tax, overhaul inheritance tax
*Halt new motorway construction projects
*Adopt rules to fight wasting drinking water
*Scrap Macron’s pension reform, and work towards a ‘right to retire’ at 60
*End ‘austerity’ under EU budget rules
*Reform Europe’s common farming policies
MACRON’S CENTRIST ‘TOGETHER’ ALLIANCE
In the political centre, Macron has urged moderate parties to join his electoral alliance against political extremes on the right and left, with little meaningful success so far.
The president, who has warned of the risk of a ‘civil war’, seeks to cast his camp as the last hope for stability.
Macron’s centrist bloc has pledged to:
*Hit the pause button on reform of France’s unemployment insurance aimed at toughening rules for welfare benefits
*Continue to deliver job creation through pro-business policies
*Rule out tax hikes for households
*Link pensions to inflation and protect purchasing power
*Ease employer charges to facilitate wage hikes for low income workers
*Create cheap additional health insurance for those in need
*Be mindful of the country’s budget deficit and resist runaway spending
*Deal more firmly with juvenile criminality