Investigation – Faced with a left at the end of its cycle, the RN has managed to embody change better than the right in this Sarthois sub-prefecture, emblematic of peripheral France. A study conducted for the Jean Jaurès Foundation and published exclusively in Le Figaro.
The municipal elections have been marked by the conquest of more than 50 new municipalities by the RN. While these gains are mainly concentrated in the party’s historical strongholds: the mining basin of Pas-de-Calais (Liévin, Billy-Montigny, Harnes, Oignies, and Marles-les-Mines) and in the Paca region (Orange, Carpentras, Tarascon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Cagnes-sur-Mer), the election of a National Rally candidate in La Flèche, a sub-prefecture of the Sarthe, is considered an anomaly on the map. How can this historic shift in the Grand Ouest be explained?
If this victory sounded like a “Sarthois April 21st,” surprising politicians, the media, and residents of the department, the National Rally had already recorded significant scores in Sarthe for several years. In the 2024 legislative elections, in the fourth constituency, Marie-Caroline Le Pen, sister of Marine Le Pen, missed the seat by only 400 votes.
[Context: The RN is making gains in various municipalities despite being historically stronger in specific regions.] [Fact Check: No legislative elections took place in 2024, indicating a potential error in the article.]
