Lapina Natalia Yur’evna – Sc.D. in Political Sciences, Chief Researcher, Head of the Department of Global Problems, INION RAS
First elections to the European Parliament (EP) were held in France in 1979. More than four decades have passed since then. Over the years, French society has changed beyond recognition, and new socio-professional, socio-spatial, generational, cultural and religious schisms have appeared. The country’s political space has also changed. The traditional division into right and left parties has been replaced by a more complex configuration of political forces; populist parties of the extreme left and extreme right have strengthened their positions. In 1992, in France, supporters of ratification of the Maastricht Treaty won a referendum by a narrow margin, and in 2005 the French voted against the adoption of the European Constitution. Many citizens of the country consider themselves both French and European, but a critical attitude towards the European Union and its policies remains. For party functionaries, a seat in the European Parliament is usually either the start or the end of a political career. For experts, the elections to the European Parliament are an opportunity to assess the capabilities of players on the political scene and identify the mood in the society. The article examines the alignment of political forces in France on the eve of the 2024 EP elections, the specifics of the election campaign, the attitude of French society towards EU policy and elections, the results of the EP elections and France’s place in the European Parliament of the new convocation.
elections, European Parliament, French society, «National Rally», «France Unbowed», J.-L. Mélenchon, M. Le Pen, J. Bardella, E. Macron.
Download text