Far-right wins first round of French parliamentary elections

In the first round of the French parliamentary elections, held this Sunday, 30th, the far-right party National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, obtained 33% of the votes, as announced by the French Ministry of the Interior.

The left-leaning New Popular Front took 28%, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc registered 20%.

The election saw the highest turnout in 40 years. Before the results were announced, Macron proposed a broad alliance between “republican and democratic candidates” for the second round, scheduled for July 7. In turn, Marine Le Pen called on voters to secure an absolute majority for the RN in the second round.

Leaders of the New Popular Front (NFP) have begun to consider alliances with the centrist bloc or even outright support for Macron. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the France Insoumise party, part of the NFP, has said he will withdraw his candidates if the bloc comes in third place.

In France’s semi-presidential system, the winning party or coalition appoints the prime minister, who governs jointly with the president. If the president and prime minister are from different parties, France could face a “cohabitation” government, which could limit the government’s effectiveness. Gabriel Attal, the current prime minister and Macron ally, could be replaced by Jordan Bardella, just 28 and the leading figure of the RN, if the polls are correct.

Bardella stressed that the second round will be crucial for the history of the French Fifth Republic. The election was called early by Macron after unfavorable results in the European Parliament elections, leading to a surprise dissolution of the French legislature.

With information from G1