France’s far-right National Rally party scored a convincing lead in the first round of the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, according to pollsters. Marine Le-Pen one step closer to forming a government.
President Emmanuel Macronof the centrist Renaissance party, made a high-stakes gamble last month by dissolving parliament after National Rally made significant gains in the European Parliament elections.
Macron had hoped that National Rally’s hardline immigration policies and anti-Semitic history would dampen its vote in parliamentary elections, but that was not the case on Sunday.
Early projections showed that National Rally and its allied parties won about 33 percent of the vote in the first round. A left-wing coalition of parties won 28 percent of the vote, while Macron’s coalition won 21 percent.
High turnout figures with high stakes for elections
Nearly two-thirds of French voters turned out on Sunday, a huge increase from the crucial 2022 election, in which Macron triumphed over Le Pen as president. Turnout in that election was just under 40 percent.
If Rassemblement National were to gain a majority in parliament, it would force Macron to appoint a member of Rassemblement National – probably party president Jordan Bardella — as prime minister. It would also effectively block his agenda.
Macron has faced numerous challenges in recent months, including concerns about inflation and the economy in general. Opponents have campaigned on rising costs of living and other common economic complaints about the French government.
Renaissance and the left-wing coalition, meanwhile, have attacked Rassemblement National for its nationalist policies, including a proposed large-scale immigration policy and restrictions on the rights of people with dual nationality.
Bardella has already promised to cut arms shipments to Ukraine if elected. This is a clear departure from Macron, who is one of Kiev’s closest allies in Europe.
Prime Minister calls on voters to block the extreme right in the second round
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, an ally of Macron, warned of a high stakes if his opponents prevail in the second round of voting next week.
A runoff will be held in districts where no parliamentary candidate has won 50 percent of the vote, and maneuvers in the coming days will determine the dynamics of each local race. National Rally would need 289 of the 577 seats to win an outright majority.
“The far right is at the door of power,” Attal said, twice describing the commitments made on the National Rally policy as “disastrous.” He added that in the second round of voting, “not a single vote should go to the National Rally. France does not deserve that.”
Macron’s coalition finished a distant third in the vote, behind a left-wing coalition that finished in second place.
Attal said on Sunday that candidates from his party who came third in the first round of voting will withdraw, in a bid to boost the left-wing coalition against National Rally.
Le Pen aims for an ‘absolute majority’ in parliament
Le Pen appeared enthusiastic about the results and urged backers to oust Macron’s government from power altogether.
“The French have almost wiped out the ‘Macronist’ bloc,” she said after the polls closed, adding that the results show “voters’ willingness to turn the page after seven years of despicable and corrosive power.”
Bardella portrayed his opponents as “dangerous” in an appeal to voters.
“The choice is clear,” Bardella said, accusing the left-wing coalition of campaigning to “disarm the police,” “open the doors wide to immigration” and criticizing left-wing leaders for “insulting institutions and anyone who thinks differently from them.”
The second round of voting is on July 7.
The Associated Press contributed.
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