French PM says efforts to prevent far-right majority can succeed

French PM says efforts to prevent far-right majority can succeed

Gabriel Attal urges on campaign to peg back rise of National Rally as candidates pull out to avoid splitting vote

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France’s prime minister has said nationwide efforts to prevent Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) winning an outright majority in parliament could succeed, after more than 200 candidates pulled out of Sunday’s legislative election runoff to avoid splitting the anti-far-right vote.

“We can avoid an absolute majority for the far right,” Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday, adding that 90% of candidates from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist camp had quit three-way races if they were in third with an RN candidate ahead of them.

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