Collective mobilization has paid off: the far right will not govern France in 2024. Equipop is not letting its guard down and remains mobilized alongside the "Alertes féministes" coalition. Now we must demand progress on women's rights and gender equality!
The National Rally, which had hoped to govern France after the legislative elections, lost. In terms of number of seats, the New Popular Front is the leading force to emerge from the polls, while the National Rally is only third. The mobilization of civil society, through initiatives such as "Feminist Alerts" and calls for action internationally, helped to avoid the worst. Equipop is proud to have contributed to this defeat of the far right. Although they were not helped—to say the least—by the media, several female politicians played a major role in countering the far right in the streets and in public debate. In addition, the work of independent media and the regional daily press, which highlighted the racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist profiles, statements, and backgrounds of RN candidates, certainly helped raise awareness among voters. According to initial analyses, the female vote for the RN, on which Marine Le Pen is banking heavily, declined in these legislative elections, particularly among young women, as researcher Nonna Mayer points out. This is one of the key factors to consider in the 2027 presidential election. We cannot say it enough: the far right is incompatible with women's rights and social justice!
What now?
Although the defeat of the far right is a relief, in France and Europe, the RN's score remains historically high, and the political situation is very uncertain. The resulting inertia weakens processes related to women's rights (revision of the law on rape and integration of consent, work on gender-based and sexual violence and child protection, voting on budgets for public policies on gender equality and international solidarity, etc.), which have already lacked political momentum in recent years. Furthermore, since 2017, the National Assembly has been steadily moving away from its goal of achieving parity: women now represent only 36% of deputies. The RN and Les Républicains, which are represented by two-thirds and three-quarters men, respectively, bring down the average. Only one party, EELV, has achieved parity. All the others are below 42%.
In this situation, unprecedented in terms of the absence of a majority, but unfortunately very typical in terms of the invisibility of female politicians and gender equality issues, we call for a reversal of the trend. Parity must, of course, be respected in the next government. At a time when parties are working to form coalitions, whatever form they may take, we stress that it is essential that women's rights and gender equality are a non-negotiable element in the negotiations. More broadly, in the months and years to come, the executive and legislative branches will have to work more closely than they currently do with associations, in all their diversity. Feminists, in particular, must be listened to and heard, both in circles of power and in the media. The risk of an absolute majority for the RN has led to an urgent collective mobilization that must continue through dialogue and co-construction. This is the only way to advance the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people and, more broadly, to restore French democracy.
