French Far Right Wins the First Round of the Snap Parliamentary Elections
French President Emmanuel Macron leaves a voting booth at a polling station during the first round of the early French parliamentary elections. Photo: EFE/EPA/YARA NARDI / POOL MAXPPP OUT
June 30, 2024 Hour: 4:23 pm
Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Grouping (RN) party has won the first round of the French legislative elections and is in a position to achieve an absolute majority in the second round, according to the voting estimates published at the close of the polls.
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RN and its allies would obtain more than 34% of votes, followed by the New Popular Front (left) with between 28.5% and 29.1% and the Macronist alliance between 20.5% and 21.5%, according to estimates disseminated by Ifop and Ipsos at the closure of the polling stations this Saturday.
Joan Bardella’s party and his political allies may have a 240-310 seats in the National Assambley (Parliament – AN) according to the Ipsos polls company, and 240 to 270 seats according to Ifop, while Elabe sees the possibility of an absolute majority with 260 to 310 far-right MPs.
At stake are 577 seats in the National Assembly, which will determine whether or not the president will be forced to a “cohabitation” of government with an opposition majority, in the remainder of his term until 2027.
The current French president Emmanuel Macron said that the high turnout in the first round spoke of “the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation,” and have asked the people to union and face the far right Le Pen.
“In front of the National Grouping (RN), it is time for a broad democratic and republican union for the second round”said the French president in a statement sent to the AFP agency after the victory of the far right with more than 35% of the votes.
On the other hand, the former president François Hollande, deputy candidate in the legislative elections by the leftist coalition New Popular Front (which includes the Socialist Party), called for a “union as wide as possible” for the second round against the ultra-right of Marine Le Pen.
The leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Insumisa France (LFI) assured that he would withdraw the candidacy of his bloc in those constituencies where they are in third place and stressed that the “trap” the dissolution of the National Assembly and the early convocation of Macron’s legislative elections.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: EFE // AFP // RFI // France24
