Introduction
France is a multi-party country in which the party system is given significant importance. A party system is essential in a democratic order for fair elections and government formation, and for linking government and people (Anderson & Guillory, 1997). The party system of France has constitutional recognition, the parties in France are diverse and there is a tendency to create new parties that meet the changing interest of citizens (Knapp, 2022). The distribution of power in the hands of different parties is widely reflected in the response of the population.
Distribution of Parties, Competitiveness, and Ideologies
Not all parties in France have the same political strength. However, there are no clearly defined two directions in the party system, they can change from election to election. At the moment, there are more than 40 political parties in France, but five main ones are currently in force (Devellennes, 2022). New parties appear in developed democracies, and they can be successful if they meet the demands of society (Bolleyer & Bytzek, 2013). La République en Marche (LREM) is currently the leading party as it was created by current French President Emmanuel Macron (Knapp, 2022). Le Rassemblement National (RN) is representative of the far right in the French system (Knapp, 2022). The opposition to the right-wing movement is Le Parti Socialiste (PS), the main party on the left (Knapp, 2022). The main Republican party in France is called Les Républicains (LR) (Knapp, 2022). La France insoumise (LFI), represents the radical left wing of the French system (Knapp, 2022). France’s party system is characteristic of Western European democratic systems (Adams & Ezrow, 2009). The distribution of political forces directly depends on the state of society and the current presidential course.
LREM is the main French party as it was created by the current President of France. The party is center-left and oriented towards a neo-liberal pro-European stance (Knapp, 2022). RN is a far-right party run by Marine Le Pen, Macron’s main rival in the last presidential election (Knapp, 2022). The far-right party has strong immigrant views and retains the nationalist streaks of many European right-wing parties (Ezrow, 2011). PS remains the main left-wing party, which traditionally opposes ultra-right sentiments. Its cult leader is François Mitterrand, who was also the country’s president (Maarek, 2020). LR is a conservative Republican party and has traditionally been in opposition to the neo-liberal movement. It is led by Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France (Maarek, 2020). LFI is far-left and challenging the traditional left, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who, along with his party members, seeks to change the existing order (Devellennes, 2022). There are many more parties in France, but the above parties are the main ones and give an idea of the current state of the distribution of forces.
The Current Events
The current situation in modern French politics can be traced to the 2022 presidential election campaign, which demonstrates a clear reshaping of the party system. The last elections in France met the requirements for a democratic regime (Downs, 1957). Even though Macron was elected for a second term, his party suffered a crushing defeat in the Parliamentary elections. Le Pen’s party won 89 seats in parliament, although the party previously held only 8 seats (Startin, 2022). On the other side of the political spectrum, the radical left party ended up winning 131 seats (Startin, 2022). Thus, it becomes clear that the main struggle in France will be between the ultra-right and the ultra-left, while Macron’s center party, more sympathetic to the left, remains only a formal one without real representation.
The parliamentary elections demonstrated the real distribution of forces in the country. LREM is losing its position after the end of Macron’s leadership, remaining the leading party only formally. PS, the traditional socialist party did not gain a large representation, which may be due to the unpreparedness of traditional approaches to respond to the prevailing public expectation. LR, the traditional Republican Party has also turned out to be irrelevant, as young people begin to play an increasing role in modern politics. The main competitors were parties with radical views, RN and LFI. This distribution in the political struggle is a traditional confrontation between right and left, but their radical form indicates that representatives of similar views can no longer agree.
Political competition forced representatives of both movements to soften their views in favor of a profitable social campaign. Competition forces parties to make concessions to voters (Carson et al., 2010). The perception of parties by voters depends on their past behavior, but it can be forced out of the public consciousness by new, socially approved actions (Tavits, 2008). The modern party struggle is reflected in the media, which can significantly affect the opinion of voters (Hopmann et al., 2012). Manipulation in the media was predominantly carried out by party leaders. The success of Le Pen and a small gap from Macron can be explained by Le Pen’s perseverance in trying to whitewash her party in statements that border on hatred on a national basis. Macron continued to adhere to centrist views, which ensured his victory. The successes of Mélenchon and his left-radical party are explained by their willingness to compromise and try to unite under their leadership all branches of the left movement. The worrying tendency in the latest campaign is the record-breaking support given to the ultra-right movement.
The irreconcilable split in society is characterized by such a sharp division of ideologies. While the left is in favor of maximum European and world integration, support for migration, and cooperation, the right is worried about national identity and calls for protecting it in the first place. The stumbling block for politics in 2022 was the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in which voters began to suspect Le Pen of over-justifying Russian policies. At the same time, Macron seemed connected to the maximum support line for Ukraine, which is what the voters chose. The political opinion of the French, as in most other countries, is formed under the opinion of the majority (Nicholson, 2012). Most people were in favor of the security associated with the current president instead of obscurity. However, the growing popularity of the right-wing party occurs because more people tend to focus their attention on issues within the country, reducing interest in foreign policy.
Conclusion
The situation in the political structure of France is changeable and reflects the main social trends. The shifting forces in the traditional dispute between the right and the left testify to the fact that society demands a decisive position on key issues from the authorities. The current period in politics will be characterized by attempts to find a balance between irreconcilable currents and meet the needs of voters, since the situation may change dramatically.
References
Adams, J., & Ezrow, L. (2009). Who do European parties represent? How Western European parties represent the policy preferences of opinion leaders. The Journal of Politics, 71(1), 206-223. Web.
Anderson, C. J., & Guillory, C. A. (1997). Political institutions and satisfaction with democracy: A cross-national analysis of consensus and majoritarian systems. American Political Science Review, 91(1), 66-81. Web.
Bolleyer, N., & Bytzek, E. (2013). Origins of party formation and new party success in advanced democracies. European Journal of Political Research, 52(6), 773-796. Web.
Carson, J. L., Koger, G., Lebo, M. J., & Young, E. (2010). The electoral costs of party loyalty in Congress. American Journal of Political Science, 54(3), 598-616. Web.
Devellennes, C. (2022). The Macron régime: The ideology of the new right in France. Policy Press.
Downs, A. (1957). An economic theory of democracy. Harper.
Ezrow, L. (2011). Electoral systems and party responsiveness. In Political economy of institutions, democracy, and voting (pp. 303-325). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Hopmann, D. N., Elmelund-Præstekær, C., Albæk, E., Vliegenthart, R., & Vreese, C. H. D. (2012). Party media agenda-setting: How parties influence election news coverage. Party Politics, 18(2), 173-191. Web.
Knapp, A. (2022). France’s party system in 2022. Modern & Contemporary France, 30(4), 495-515. Web.
Maarek, P. J. (2020). French television debates: Just audience or true influence? In Routledge international handbook on electoral debates (pp. 197-209). Routledge.
Nicholson, S. P. (2012). Polarizing cues. American journal of political science, 56(1), 52-66. Web.
Startin, N. (2022). Marine Le Pen, the Rassemblement National and breaking the ‘glass ceiling’? The 2022 French presidential and parliamentary elections. Modern & Contemporary France, 30(4), 427-443. Web.
Tavits, M. (2008). The role of parties’ past behavior in coalition formation. American Political Science Review, 102(4), 495-507. Web.