Editorial: Liberation

• Jordan Bardella, who came out victorious in the first round, now sees his party in third place in the early legislative elections.
• The defeat is largely attributed to the democratic pushback from the French public who rejected the xenophobic ideas of the party.
• Fallback strategies have worked and the unity of the left parties has held.
• The twist also symbolises the failure of the 'dedemonisation' of the Rassemblement national.
• Despite Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's attempts to clean up the party's image, a number of party candidates have been spotlighted for racist and xenophobic remarks and positions.

Conclusion: This turn of events challenged the party leader's attempts to reform their image, showing that the French public is increasingly rejecting their xenophobic and racist ideals.

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