In June 2024, the French Far Right party, the National Rally came in first at the European elections, way ahead of the party of President Macron. This sent shockwaves in the French political world and Emmanuel Macron decided to dissolve the National Assembly and call for early legislative elections. On June 30th, the National Rally won 33% of the vote nationally – the best score ever for a far-right party in France. What process led to such a success? How deep-rooted is the support for the far-right in France? Did the National Rally really manage to win the “hearts and minds” of a large part of the French population? And what can we expect next? Is a future win of the far right a foregone conclusion?
In order to help us understand the current shifts in France’s political landscape and what they mean for the future, Vis A Vis is honored to welcome Ecole Polytechnique Professor Etienne Ollion, whose latest book, A Strange Victory, co-authored with Michaël Foessel, explores the causes behind the recent electoral surge of the far-right in France.
Étienne Ollion is a professor of Sociology at the École Polytechnique and a researcher at CNRS. Specializing in politics, his works investigate the texture of power in modern societies. He uses qualitative and quantitative methods alike and is an enthusiastic promoter of computational social sciences. Professor Ollion is the author of several books, including Candidates. Amateurs and Professionals in French Politics (Oxford University Press, 2024). He held visiting professor positions at ENS-Paris, UC Berkeley, and the University of Chicago. This spring, he is a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, as part of the Alliance Program.
Credits
Host: Dr. Emmanuel Kattan
Editor and Producer: Rachel Kahn
Producer: Georgia O’Neil