French voters more eager to block hard-left, than far-right, from power, poll shows

PARIS, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Most French voters would seek to block the far-left from power in a two-round vote, according to a poll released on Wednesday that suggests the far-right National Rally (RN) is no longer seen as the country’s most toxic party.

Nearly two-thirds of people polled by Elabe said they would seek to keep the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party from power by voting for a rival party in a two-round vote, compared with just 45% of people who planned to do the same for the RN.

The poll comes after the recent killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, 23, allegedly by far-left militants, that shocked the nation and soured the national mood against the LFI. An aide to an LFI lawmaker is one of seven under formal investigation for their alleged role in Deranque’s murder.

The suspects deny the allegations, prosecutors said.

The RN, long a byword for racism and antisemitism, has sought to use the threat of far-left violence as part of its efforts to gain greater mainstream credibility. The RN is now France’s largest parliamentary party, and widely seen as a credible victor in the 2027 election.

For years, the RN was kept from power by a broad coalition of rival parties who would band together in second-round votes to make sure the RN didn’t win. Since the killing, RN leaders have called on rivals to form a “sanitary cordon” against the LFI. The poll suggests voters are heeding their call.

Former centre-left President Francois Hollande has urged his Socialist Party to break with LFI.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Toby Chopra)