A turn to “realism” by the president of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, who, after a concerted effort by leftists and centrists to block her path to victory, said on Tuesday that if her party failed to secure an outright majority on its own, it would seek allies to form a government.

It is noted that both she and her candidate for prime minister, Jordan Bardela, they had insisted to her until today that they will not proceed to form a government if they do not manage to have an absolute majority. France’s constitution says new parliamentary elections cannot be held for another year, so an immediate repeat election is not an option.

“We want to rule, to be extremely clear. And if we lack a few deputies from the majority”Le Pen told France Inter Radio on Tuesday, “we will go to others and say: ‘Are you ready to join us in a new majority with a new policy?’

Le Pen said she believed her party could find allies on the left and right, notably in the conservative Les Republicains party.

However, it remains unclear whether she and Bardella will make it. Eric Ciotti, then leader of Les Republicains, sparked outrage and was forced to quit the party last month when he teamed up with the RN.

According to final results for Sunday’s first round from the Interior Ministry, the RN secured 33% of the vote and the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) 28%. Macron’s Ensemble alliance secured 20%.

The concerted move by rival parties, which withdrew hundreds of candidates from the second round, makes it that much more difficult, as overall first-round votes for Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition and the left-wing NFP alliance exceeded those of the RN in several polls regions.

However, it is not known how many voters will turn to parties they don’t normally support to block the far right rather than stay home or direct their vote to the RN.

The prospect of an RN government further cements the “normalization” of the far right in French politics. In recent years, Le Pen has tried to tone down her more radical and racist elements.

Can the far right win an absolute majority?

Le Pen’s party is heading into the second round with unprecedented margins, boosted by its success in the first round and its triumph in the European elections earlier this month.

RN candidates and their allies won first place pin 296 of France’s 577 constituencies on Sundaywinning 39 of them with over 50% of the vote.

The results put the far-right on track to win between 240 and 300 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, according to polling institutes, giving it by far the largest number of seats in the lower house of parliament and putting it within striking distance of an outright majority.

France’s two-round elections traditionally exclude the far right from power, with voters from the left and right usually coming together in a “Republican Front” to defeat Le Pen’s camp.

However, in this election there is now a significant proportion of the mainstream right who may vote for the National Rally or at least no longer see it as a threat.

What will happen if the far right wins an absolute majority?

Should the far-right win a majority, Macron is expected to appoint 28-year-old Bardela as prime minister, while Le Pen’s goal is the 2027 presidential election.

That development would weaken the president both at home and abroad, forcing him into a power-sharing arrangement – known as “cohabitation” – with an extremist party that has historic ties to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

While Macron will retain overall control of French diplomacy, Bardela has said he will use the prime minister’s powers to block the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Can the “first” of the National Rally be overturned?

In an attempt to stop Le Pen from power, the New Popular Front and the French president’s centrist coalition, Emmanuel Macronproceeded to form a common front, withdrawing their candidates who came third in votes in favor of the one who will face the candidate of the National Rally.

According to Le Monde, a total of 218 candidates withdrew from the second round, 130 from the New Popular Front, while 82 candidates resigned from the camp of the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

The tactic of walkouts is intended to unify the forces opposed to the National Rally into a single bloc and prevent a split in order to prevent the victory of the far-right party.