WHILE LAST NIGHT’S National Rally victory in the first round of parliamentary elections has sent shockwaves through France, it has also drawn the attention of political leaders abroad, some of whom have expressed concern for the direction of one of the EU’s major players. 

Last night, the far-right National Rally (RN) led by Marine Le Pen came out on top in the first round of voting in the National Assembly elections, earning 34% of the vote, according to projections.

The left alliance New Popular Front came in second place with 28.1%, while President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble group took 20.3%.

The second round is set to take place on Sunday 7 July and the far right has a chance of forming a governing for the first since the Vichy regime of 1940s, which collaborated with occupying Nazi Germany. 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned today of “great danger” for Europe.

“This is all really starting to smell of great danger,” said former EU chief Tusk, who also made allegations about ”Russian influence” in “many parties of the radical right in Europe”.

“Even the complete victory of the radical right of Mrs. (Marine) Le Pen’s camp does not signal the loss of power by the centre represented by President Macron,” Tusk told reporters.

“But it is a very clear sign of what is happening not only in France, but also in some other countries, also in Western Europe,” he added, without specifying any additional European countries.

The former European Council president also spoke of a “dangerous trend”, and pointed to fears that “France can soon become the sick person of Europe, because it will be forced to confront these radical forces”.

“Foreign forces and enemies of Europe are engaged in this process, hiding behind these movements,” he added, without giving further details.

The RN has had warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the party even proposing an “alliance” with Russia in the past. But the RN has made efforts to revamp its image when it comes to foreign affairs lately, scrapping its pledge to withdraw from NATO and commiting to supporting Ukraine.

The Kremlin is following the election results in France “very closely”, a spokesman said today.

“The preferences of French voters are more or less clear to us,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russian officials said the results of the French elections would be judged alongside political developments elsewhere, including upcoming votes in the US and UK.

“Last week, we saw Biden lose the debate. And now Macron’s party has lost, coming in third place in the legislative elections. The heads of state in power are suffering resounding defeats,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian Duma.

Other Russian officials and political analysts were sceptical that the developments signalled an imminent shift in relations between the Kremlin and countries in the West.

“We should not expect an improvement in relations between Paris and Moscow after the legislative elections,” said Vladimir Dzhabarov, vice president of the Foreign Affairs Commission, according to local media.

“We must not exaggerate the importance of the National Rally and its influence on French politics,” also warned analyst Georgy Bovt on Russian radio BFM.bovt

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“The leaders of the RN have already made it known that French support for Ukraine would not be called into question,” he recalled.

In the UK, Labour leader and likely next prime minister Keir Starmer said the result was a sign that politicians need to focus on addressing people’s needs.

“The lesson I take from (the National Rally victory) is that we need to address the everyday concerns of so many people,” he said as the UK election campaign entered its final few days.

“We have to take that head on and we have to show both Thursday in the United Kingdom and across Europe and the world that only progressives have the answers to the challenges that are facing us in this country and across Europe,” he added.

“We have to make that progressive cause but we have to, in making that, understand why it is… that people do feel disaffected with politics.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today the RN’s electoral success in was a cause for concern.

“Nobody can be indifferent when… in our closest partner and friend, a party that sees Europe as the problem and not the solution is far ahead (in the polls),” Baerbock told journalists in Berlin.

With reporting from AFP