• Announced in the lead in the first round in a recent poll, the National Rally dreams of creating a surprise and winning in Brittany.

  • The head of the list RN Gilles Pennelle hopes to conquer the voices of the right and take advantage of the fragmentation on the left and at LREM.

  • The political scientist Romain Pasquier believes that the RN is unlikely to win because of the alliances to come.

He has a straight chest and speaks loudly.

In the warmth of his small office where the French flag and the portrait of Marine Le Pen are displayed, Gilles Pennelle is overflowing with confidence.

Head of the National Rally in Brittany list, the frontist candidate dreams of creating the biggest surprise of these regional elections.

A few days before the first round scheduled for Sunday, his list seems to be on cloud nine, as carried by the results of the last survey carried out by Ipsos for France 3. Carried out on June 8, the survey gave the National Rally in the lead on the evening of the first round with 20% of the voting intentions, one point ahead of Loïg Chesnais-Girard (PS) and Thierry Burlot (LREM).

Non-existent a few years ago in a region that has always been hostile to it, the National Rally obtained 19% of the vote in 2015, entering the regional council.

Six years later, his head of the list has become the main opponent for outgoing president Loïg Chesnais-Girard.

"We are the only political force capable of defeating him", launches Gilles Pennelle, sure of himself.

A few days before the poll, the close friend of Marine Le Pen calls on right-wing voters to join him in overturning a poll that promises to be undecided.

"They look like bickering children"

Monday evening, it was the former president Jean-Yves Le Drian who sowed chaos by asking his successor to merge with the LREM list for the second round and not "especially" to ally with environmentalists.

According to the survey carried out by Ipsos, this configuration would be the most favorable to the RN, in a fragmented political landscape.

“I’m very confident and I think we will come out ahead by a large margin on Sunday.

This will create hope and I am convinced that we can win ”, launches the candidate.

But he recognizes that he "does not believe in reconciliation" between Burlot and Chesnais-Girard.

“They look like bickering kids.

And the dad who comes to reconcile them, ”tackles the chosen one in his usual outspokenness.

For being so high in intentions, the candidate criticized for having belonged to the neopagan racialist group Earth and People, knows where to strike.

He criticizes “agribashing, insecurity, the closure of public services”.

Gilles Pennelle stands alongside farmers, agribusiness, fishermen, rural areas and all those who feel “abandoned” by regional policy.

He also received reinforcement from Florent de Kersauson, his head of the list in Morbihan.

But can he really win the election?

Abstention and divisions make the bed of the RN

“The National Gathering is benefiting from a dynamic but it is not growing very strongly. It simply takes advantage of the very strong political fragmentation of the region, ”believes political scientist Romain Pasquier. “I don't see him winning because he has no allies for the second round. If there are alliances, he will undoubtedly be beaten ”.

The good score of the far-right party could also depend on the abstention, which promises to be very high.

"We know that the electorate of the National Rally is mobilized in general," said the political scientist.

In Brittany as elsewhere, Marine Le Pen's party could also benefit from a postponement of votes from the right.

Back in this campaign, the candidate Les Républicains Isabelle Le Callennec was announced at 14% in a poll.

“The campaign revolves a lot around the score of the RN and the duel between Chesnais-Girard and Burlot.

Isabelle Le Callennec is neither in one nor in the other ”, concludes the political scientist from Rennes.

Verdict Sunday night.

We expect delicate negotiations.

Find the results of the regional elections in Brittany on Sunday, June 20 from 8 p.m. on 20minutes.fr

Politics

Regional in Brittany: What chances for environmentalists in the agribusiness region?

Elections

Regional in Brittany: “Get married!

»… Jean-Yves Le Drian wants a rally but especially not with the Greens

  • National Front

  • Marine Le Pen

  • Region

  • National gathering

  • Reindeer

  • Regional elections

  • Elections