France's Election Season Will Pose Serious Challenges for the Government

The ongoing economic crisis in the eurozone is increasingly affecting France's internal politics. The country will hold two elections in the coming months: nationwide municipal elections March 23 and March 30 followed by EU Parliament elections May 25. In both votes, the Socialist government will likely lose ground to the opposition center-right Union for a Popular Movement and, more important, to the nationalist and Euroskeptical National Front. Although the French electoral system will prevent the National Front from taking over a large number of town halls and city councils, the elections will show the public's rising discontent with France's political elites. Even moderate gains will increase the far right's ability to influence the agenda of mainstream parties and gain legitimacy among voters. In the short term, Paris is unlikely to waver on its path to greater EU integration, but over time the consolidation of nationalist and Euroskeptical forces could lead France to reassess its future role in the European Union.