Emmanuel Macron warns about a 'civil war' in France if the far-right wins

French President Emmanuel Macron warns that a victory of the far-right or the far-left in France’s upcoming snap election could throw the country into a “civil war”, website Politico reports.

Macron, speaking on an interview with the podcast Génération Do It Yourself, warned that Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed were pursuing divisive policies that sought to spark tensions within France.

According to the French president, and as quoted by Politico, both the far-left and the far-right were reductive, encouraging polarization by “reducing people to their religion or ethnic group”.

“If we follow their reasoning to its logical conclusion either the country explodes or a civil war breaks out and that’s why I disagree with both extremes and their followers”, Macron declared in the podcast, as quoted by France 24.

According to France24, Macron’s civil war comments were not well-received by his rivals, who asked the French President to “not scare the public”.

Macron surprised the French political scene by calling a snap election in early June after the National Rally won the European elections by a landslide, weakening the liberal-centrist coalition currently in power.

According to the BBC, one week before the first round of parliamentary elections, the National Rally was several points ahead of the left-wing New Popular Front. Macron’s own liberal party, Renaissance, was in third place.

Jordan Bardella, the young leader of the National Rally, declared that his party was ready to grab power, calling it “the only credible alternative” for France.

Among other things, the BBC highlights that the National Rally promises to expel foreign criminals, restrict immigration, limit social spending to French nationals, and bar people with dual citizenship from sensitive jobs in security and defense.

Many analysts, including those from Politico, claim that while the National Rally might take over the French legislature in the snap election this strategy by Macron might undercut the far-right's momentum to get the French presidency in 2027.

With the snap elections around the corner, will the French voters listen to Macron’s warning, or will National Rally get their first taste of real power?

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