International
The grand coalition takes shape in the face of the foreseeable lack of a majority of the far right
The foreseeable lack of an absolute majority of the far right in the French elections next Sunday makes a “grand coalition” of very opposite parties increasingly take shape as the only way to govern the country.
Two polls released on Thursday afternoon coincide with another published yesterday in the sense that the far-right National Association (RN) would not achieve an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
A first Ifop poll attributes to the far right 210-240 seats, far from the absolute majority of 289.
In second place will be the New Left Popular Front (NFP), with 170-200 deputies, while the current majority of President Emmanuel Macron will fall to the third position, with 95-125 seats.
The conservative LR would have 25-45, but a hypothetical sum with the ultra-right (to date very unlikely) would still not result in a majority. Independent candidates or candidates from small regionalist formations will take between 15 and 27 seats.
The poll predicts a very high participation (68%) with very motivated voters, since 92% say they are already sure of their voting option.
Another OpinionWay poll points out that the RN would get 205-230 deputies, for 145-175 for the left and 130-162 for the macronist bloc. The conservatives would have 38 to 50.
Both studies coincide, in essence, with another published on Wednesday by Harris Interactive and which assigned the RN between 190 and 220 deputies, even further from the majority.
If those results are confirmed within three days on Sunday’s return, France’s only governance option would go through what is defined as “republican front” or “grand coalition” that brings together all parties except the far right.
However, the strong ideological and programmatic differences in a political arc that goes from the conservative right to the communists and the rebellious left of La Francia Insumisa have meant that for now the parties and leaders have not wanted to define how to put that idea into practice.
For now, socialists, macronists, ecologists, communists, ‘submissos’ and conservatives prefer to focus on their campaigns to, if necessary, have the best possible cards in the face of an eventual negotiation.
The far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who warned today that the only options now are “the mud or an absolute majority of the RN,” insists on rejecting that idea.
Le Pen denounced again that a front against his party “has the sole objective of preventing the National Association from having an absolute majority.”
Meanwhile, the French football star, Kylian Mbappé, captain of the national team, again asked from the German European Championship for a national mobilization against the far right to “not leave the country in the hands of those people.”
“More than ever we must go to vote. There is a real urgency. We can’t leave our country in the hands of those people. It’s really urgent. I think we have seen the results, it is catastrophic and we really hope that it goes well and that people mobilize,” said the star striker of Real Madrid and the French national team at a press conference.
It is not the first time that Mbappé, with a Cameroonian father and a French mother of Algerian origin, has entered the campaign since the concentration of ‘les Bleus’, just as other players of the national team have done.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced that a total of 30,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed on Sunday to avoid possible unrest or violent protests after the disclosure of the results.
The announcement comes after there have been a multiplication of cases of physical assaults on members of parties that were campaigning in recent days.
The most striking case has been that of the Government spokeswoman, Prisca Thevenot, whose group was attacked while sticking posters on Wednesday afternoon by some young people.
A Macronist militant suffered a fractured jaw and deputy Virginie Lanlo suffered a slight injury to one arm because of the aggression, which occurred in Meudon, on the southern outskirts of Paris.
The police arrived quickly and arrested three minors between the ages of 16 and 17 and a 20-year-old adult with a police record.
In recent days, the high tension of the campaign for the increase in calls to oppose the far right and the increase in racist or violent messages by some voices of the extreme right has resulted in a level of virulence much higher than that of other elections.
However, no episode has been really serious. Some blows or damage to cars have so far been the most serious thing that has happened, although several leaders and media have warned about the high level of tension in society.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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