I share your pessimism. Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) has had ties with the Kremlin for a long time. That alone should have discredited this party a l

I share your pessimism. Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) has had ties with the Kremlin for a long time. That alone should have discredited this party a long time ago, but no, it is ranking as high as ever, even after russia's overt invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mélenchon's far-left "France Insoumise" party ranks very high too, and is similarly pro-russian, anti-EU, anti-NATO. In the town where I live, more than half the votes have gone to the RN these past elections. I often feel like a Cassandra.