This is the political week that threatens to disrupt climate progress

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French far right leader Marine Le Pen meets with supporters and media after vote count projections Sunday. Photo: @MLP_officiel.

Concern that climate progress could be imperiled by dozens of elections in major democracies this year threatens to turn to panic in just a few short days this week as four major elections take center stage.

A weekend of Democratic handwringing in the U.S. about President Joe Biden’s poor performance in his debate against former president Donald Trump ended with a dramatic showing by the right-wing National Rally party in the first leg of French elections, in a vote that could change decades of French leadership on climate.

Following sweeping gains by ring-wing parties in European elections to Brussels two weeks ago, the conservative forces led by Marine Le Pen and her young protege Jordan Bardella appear headed to victory in final voting this coming Sunday. The New Popular Front, a collection of extreme leftwing parties, came in second and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble (Together) party came in a distant third. French stocks and the euro rose on Monday, however, on speculation the swing won’t be large enough to give Le Pen and Bardella a majority.

Now all eyes turn to the UK general election on Thursday, where the left-wing Labour Party holds a commanding lead over the ruling Conservatives and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and is set to wrest control of power for the first time in 14 years.