Major gains for the National Rally in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections highlights the rise of far-right politics across Europe.
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00:00Protests in Paris instead of celebration, after the far-right won the most votes in
00:09the first round of French parliamentary elections.
00:13Polls suggest Marine Le Pen's national rally could win a majority for the first time.
00:19And form France's first far-right government since it was occupied by Nazi Germany during
00:25World War II.
00:27It's a scenario that's alarming many ahead of the final run-off on July 7th.
00:43The national rally has promised to drastically cut illegal and legal immigration.
00:56The national rally's historically high showing in the first round follows its success in
01:01European Parliament elections, where it won more seats than President Emmanuel Macron's
01:07party.
01:08And it's not just in France where the far-right is making gains.
01:12Across Europe, there's a shift to the populist and radical right.
01:36The far-right's increasing success in the polls comes as thousands of migrants continue
01:41to make the perilous journey to Europe.
01:44Last year, the European Union saw more than one million people apply for asylum, the highest
01:49number since 2016.
01:52Most want to go to Germany.
02:04But back in France, the national rally's very different message on immigration is resonating
02:09with voters.
02:29The national rally hopes to win an absolute majority.
02:33While that may not happen, it's still poised to become the largest force in French politics.
02:39The party and those across Europe that have been buoyed by a surge in anti-immigration
02:44sentiment will still need to grapple with official projections.
02:49That by 2030, the EU will need millions more workers to help keep its economies going,
02:57many of whom will likely need to come from outside its borders.
03:02Klein Wong and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.