The results of the first round of the French legislative elections have placed the National Rally, the main far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, in the lead. From Mexico City, where we are gathered for the third international conference on feminist foreign policy, and everywhere else in the world where we are closely following these elections, we are holding our breath.
The full text of the open letter and the list of signatories can be found on the L'Humanité website. As feminist activists from Argentina to the Netherlands, via the United States, Senegal, Hungary, Nepal, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom, we are familiar with the dramatic effects of the far right on women's rights. They have been described by the women who came before us, we have experienced them in our own countries, or we are likely to experience them soon.
There is no doubt about the racist and sexist agenda of the RN. Like her European counterparts (Geert Wilders, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orbán, etc.), Marine Le Pen has always based her program on a hierarchy of citizens and a patriarchal vision of society. The implementation of the RN's project would be disastrous for women, LGBTQIA+ people, and migrants in particular, but more broadly for French society as a whole.
Women know this all too well in countries where the far right has come to power. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni's government is inviting opponents of abortion into family planning centers and threatening media pluralism. In Argentina, populist President Javier Milei has, among other things, abolished the Ministry of Gender Equality and wants to repeal abortion rights. He is plunging his country into poverty at record speed and denying the scientific evidence on climate change. In the United States, Donald Trump's term in office has ended abortion rights and ruined decades of efforts in international forums to advance women's rights and the fight against climate change.
The rise to power of the far right would also send shockwaves beyond France's borders. The RN draws inspiration and political alliances from authoritarian leaders such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary and the ultra-conservative American right. Its victory in one of the founding countries of the European Union is an existential threat to the European project. Globally, it would lead to a hardening of the backlash against women's rights, gender equality, and the very principles of democracy and equality that underpin our societies.
A few months ago, France distinguished itself by enshrining the right to abortion in its Constitution. We collectively celebrated this victory around the world. Today, France must not turn its back on women's rights by joining the ranks of countries that have chosen nationalism, sexism, and racism.
We solemnly call on you, the French republican political parties, to join forces for the second round of the legislative elections. At the national level, the goal of defeating the RN must be made the absolute priority, above and beyond all legitimate differences. And at the local level, in every constituency where the RN has the slightest chance of winning a majority, we must join forces and campaign until the very last moment, explaining what is at stake: the preservation of the values that form the foundation of the French Republic.
To you, French voters, we call on you to vote unanimously against the National Rally this Sunday, even if it means voting for a candidate who does not share your political views but who does share your fundamental values.
You can count on us, activists and feminist movements, in our respective countries and internationally, to continue fighting alongside you against the far right. Now more than ever: solidarity with women around the world! The full opinion piece and its signatories can be found on the L'Humanité website.
