Marine Le Pen insists Rassemblement National can win an absolute majority in French elections as campaign rocked by violence, with government spokeswoman and her team attacked by a crowd of 20

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has insisted her party, Rassemblement National (RN), will win an outright majority by the end of the second round of French elections, despite party officials being attacked in the streets by angry crowds.

RN, led by Le Pen and her political protégé Jordan Bardella, won a whopping 34% of the vote in the first round on June 30, leaving behind the centrist forces of President Emmanuel Macron.

But with three days to go until the second round of the most crucial parliamentary elections in France’s recent history, a poll predicted that the RN would fall short of an outright majority despite its initial success.

Despite the negative predictions, Le Pen was confident that RN would win the second round.

“I think there are still possibilities to achieve an absolute majority, with voters rising up in a last-ditch effort to get what they want,” Le Pen told BFMTV in an interview.

RN left behind the centrist forces of President Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the French elections

Tens of thousands of people gather at Place de la Republique in Paris to protest against the far-right Rassemblement National party

“I say go and vote because it is a very important moment to bring about change in politics in all the areas where you are suffering now,” she added.

Although support for RN is strong, it is still a deeply divided party that has provoked very negative reactions.

Four people, including three minors, were arrested after government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot and her team were attacked while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, outside Paris, prosecutors said.

Thevenot, who is of Mauritian descent, told local media that the attack took place after her team called on about 10 youths to stop defacing their posters.

“We told them, without being aggressive, that (defacing posters) was not allowed,” she said.

She was not injured, but a colleague and a supporter were injured and taken to hospital by about twenty people after the attack.

Four people, including three minors, were arrested after government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot (pictured) and her team were attacked while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, outside Paris.

While support for RN is strong, it is still an incredibly divided party that has provoked a very negative reaction

Political violence expected to be a major problem on Sunday night

“Violence and intimidation have no place in our society,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X in response to the attack.

Political violence is expected to be a major problem on Sunday night, with French police deploying 30,000 officers to quell any riots on the streets.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said 5,000 police officers would be stationed in and around Paris alone to “ensure that the radical right and the radical left do not abuse the situation to cause chaos”.

On the evening of the first round of the historic election, violence broke out across France, but especially in Paris, in response to the landslide victory of the far right.

Barricades meant to contain the crowd were toppled as scores of protesters poured onto the Place de la République and climbed onto the iconic statue of the personification of France, Marianne.

Garbage containers were overturned and their contents were scattered all over the asphalt. They were immediately set on fire, while protesters gathered around them with banners, torches and projectiles.

Supporters of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen react after the publication of forecasts based on the actual vote count in selected constituencies during the first round on Sunday

Many are still bitter over a sudden decision that threatens to plunge France into chaos weeks before it hosts the Olympic Games

A man holds a sign saying the French flag is not for fascists as tens of thousands of people gather in Paris to protest against the far-right

Young women out on the town were forced to line up behind armored police officers, who used batons and tear gas to push back the activists, while firefighters were called in to put out fires set by the protesters.

Macron’s decision to call early elections three years early, after his party lost the European elections, is seen as the biggest risk of his political career.

Many are still bitter about a sudden decision that threatens to throw France into chaos, just weeks before the country hosts the Olympic Games and at a time when Macron’s government is playing a key role in supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

The unpopular president has since disappeared from public view. He made his last public statements last week in Brussels. Moreover, moderate candidates put a picture of Attal on their pamphlets, not Macron.

Even if the RN fails to obtain an absolute majority, a broad coalition formed by Macron risks being overthrown in a vote of no confidence if it is supported by both the LFI and the RN.

Garbage cans were overturned and set on fire, sending acrid smoke into the air

Young women trying to enjoy a night out on the town were forced to stand behind armored police officers

Riot police officers push back protesters who had set fire to piles of rubbish

Protesters take part in a demonstration against the RN after the announcement of the results of the first round of the French parliamentary elections at the Place de la Republique in Paris on June 30, 2024

Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, which is part of the NFP, appeared to open the door to participation in a grand coalition.

“I don’t want to cause chaos in my country, France must be governable,” he told France 2 TV.

But Le Pen claimed that Macron’s “greatest dream” was to have a “single party” that embraced all forces, from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) to the right-wing Republicans (LR), but excluded the RN.

However, Macron made it clear during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that there was “no question” of the LFI being part of a coalition, according to one participant.

Le Pen, who is expected to make a fourth attempt to win the Élysée in 2027, admitted there were problems with a handful of RN candidates, including one who had to withdraw after a photo emerged of her wearing a Nazi Luftwaffe cap.

She said: ‘There are statements that are inadmissible and subject to sanctions, but there are also statements that are simply inconvenient.’