First round – landmark parliamentary election in France underway – News

  • The first round of the groundbreaking parliamentary elections is taking place in France.
  • By Sunday afternoon, one in four eligible voters had already cast their vote. The turnout at 12:00 noon was 25.9 percent, according to the Interior Ministry.
  • That was 7.47 percentage points more than at the same time in the previous parliamentary election two years ago.

The approximately 49.3 million eligible voters can vote on whether the center camp of President Emmanuel Macron will continue to have the majority in the National Assembly and thus form the government, or whether a change of power in Paris is imminent and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will have to vacate the field.

Legend:

President Macron surprised everyone with early parliamentary elections. Now the first of two rounds is starting. Will the right in France be as strong as predicted?

Keystone/EPA/YARA NARDI / POOL MAXPPP OUT

Marine Le Pen’s right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) believes it has a chance of gaining a majority in the parliamentary chamber and the post of prime minister. The new left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire is also seeking a change of government. The vote is not about Macron’s presidency.

Forecasts see RN ahead


Open box
Close box

Macron dissolved the National Assembly after the clear defeat of his Liberals in the European elections and the landslide victory of the right-wing nationalist RN and announced new elections for the French parliamentary chamber in two rounds. The second and decisive round of voting is on July 7. President Macron hopes to expand the relative majority of his center camp in the National Assembly in the vote. However, it is considered unlikely that he will succeed. Polls clearly showed the RN and its allies ahead. They could get 36 to 36.5 percent in the first round. The polls, on the other hand, put Macron’s camp a long way off in third place, with only 20 to 20.5 percent. The Nouveau Front Populaire alliance could therefore come in second with 29 percent.

Several leading politicians cast their votes this morning, including Macron, Le Pen, Attal and RN leader Jordan Bardella. The last polling stations will close at 8 p.m. this evening. Projections on the election results are expected then.

Runoff elections on July 7 will be decisive in many places

It is still uncertain what exactly the parliament will look like after the election. Very few of the 577 seats will be awarded in the first round. In many constituencies, the run-off elections in the second round will be decisive.

While in the regular parliamentary elections two years ago just five seats were won in the first round, according to the polling institute Ipsos, this time 80 to 90 seats could be won directly. The reason for this would be the expected higher voter turnout and a stronger concentration on the three political alliances.

Even though it is difficult to say anything about the second round, forecasts suggest that the right-wing nationalists could become the strongest force in the National Assembly. It is unclear whether this would be enough for an absolute majority – also because local alliances are often formed between the two rounds of voting that influence the outcome. While the left could remain stable, Macron’s center camp is likely to lose seats.

Victory of the right-wing nationalists would also have international consequences

Such an outcome would have serious consequences. The National Assembly is one of two French parliamentary chambers. It is involved in legislation and can bring down the government by means of a vote of no confidence. If a bloc other than Macron’s center camp gains an absolute majority, Macron would de facto be forced to appoint a prime minister from its ranks. This would result in what is known as cohabitation. Macron’s power would shrink significantly, and the prime minister would become more important.

The right-wing nationalists are explicitly aiming to win the election and take on government responsibility. RN party leader Jordan Bardella is set to become prime minister. In such a scenario, Macron would have difficulty getting his line across internationally. The election is therefore also being followed with great interest in Brussels and Berlin.

source site-72