PARIS: France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party holds a commanding lead in voting intentions for upcoming European Parliament elections, according to an opinion poll published on Sunday.
Voting intentions remained “very volatile,” however, said the Elabe institute, which conducted the polls for broadcaster BFMTV and weekly La Tribune Dimanche.
“One in three voters could still change their minds before the election, especially on the left.”
The poll was conducted among 1,803 people between May 29 and 31.
The extreme-right RN’s top candidate, Jordan Bardella, is credited with 32.5 percent of voting intentions in the poll,
Valerie Hayer, an ally of center-right President Emmanuel Macron, came second with 16 percent, followed by center-left Socialist candidate Raphael Glucksmann with 13.
While the standing of the main candidates was broadly unchanged from a similar poll a week ago, left-wing parties France Unbowed, the Greens and Communists made slight gains.
The right-wing opposition Les Republicains and the extreme-right Reconquete were, meanwhile, below the five percent threshold needed for representation in the European Parliament.
In France, the European Parliament elections are primarily seen as a key gauge of national politicians’ popularity.
Bardella was later on Sunday to hold a final election rally in Paris.
Around 5,500 supporters and RN party heavyweight Marine Le Pen were expected to attend.
Opinion polls show far-right parties making gains in several European Union countries in the elections on June 6-9.
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French far right has big lead over Macron ally ahead of EU vote: poll
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French far right has big lead over Macron ally ahead of EU vote: poll
Germany scrambles to rescue thousands of stranded tourists
BERLIN: Germany said Monday it would send civilian planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman as part of efforts to evacuate thousands of tourists stranded by the Middle East war.
Some 30,000 Germans are stuck in the region, according to the German Travel Association, since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Saturday, sparking a wave of Iranian strikes across the region and beyond.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would soon send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where the airspace remained open, to start evacuating some of the most vulnerable tourists.
“We will send aircraft to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” he said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” said Wadephul.
Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland, he added.
A team from the German embassy in Cairo was assisting with border crossings from Israel, he said.
Around 5,000 passengers are stuck on two TUI cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to German media, with reports of crying children and a general mood of fear.
“We were not allowed to leave the ship,” one female tourist, a police officer, told the NTV broadcaster.
“We are well looked after, but I don’t feel safe.”
TUI Cruises said in a statement that “due to the continuing dynamic situation in the region and limited flight connections, we are in close contact with the airlines to enable reliable planning of return journeys.”
Some 30,000 Germans are stuck in the region, according to the German Travel Association, since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Saturday, sparking a wave of Iranian strikes across the region and beyond.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would soon send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where the airspace remained open, to start evacuating some of the most vulnerable tourists.
“We will send aircraft to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” he said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” said Wadephul.
Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland, he added.
A team from the German embassy in Cairo was assisting with border crossings from Israel, he said.
Around 5,000 passengers are stuck on two TUI cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to German media, with reports of crying children and a general mood of fear.
“We were not allowed to leave the ship,” one female tourist, a police officer, told the NTV broadcaster.
“We are well looked after, but I don’t feel safe.”
TUI Cruises said in a statement that “due to the continuing dynamic situation in the region and limited flight connections, we are in close contact with the airlines to enable reliable planning of return journeys.”
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