French Election Debate Exposes Fierce Tensions Between Major Parties

The upcoming parliamentary elections in France are expected to be a closely contested race, with Bardella's National Rally (RN) holding a lead in opinion polls. Jordan Bardella, aged 28, is poised to become the first far-right prime minister in modern French history if his party wins an absolute majority in parliament. In a televised debate, Gabriel Attal of President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party criticized his opponents from the far-right and left-wing parties for making unrealistic promises to voters. Attal, aged 35, emphasized his desire not to deceive the French people as prime minister. The debate highlighted the youthfulness of the main participants, with Bardella being significantly younger than his opponents. Opinion polls suggest that RN is likely to win the two-round election, but without achieving an absolute majority.