Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party has taken the lead in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections, dropping President Emmanuel Macron’s party to third place, CNN reported.
Initial Ipsos estimates show the far-right coalition led by the National Rally (RN) coming in first with 34% of the vote, ahead of the second-placed Left Coalition (28.1%), while Macron’s party came a distant third with 20.3% of the vote.
Moreover, as CNN reported, projections suggest the RN will win between 230 and 280 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly after the second round of voting next Sunday, but fall short of the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.
The recently formed left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) is expected to win 125-165 seats, while Macron’s ensemble and its allies are expected to win 70-100 seats.
The prediction means the RN, which Le Pen has sought to eradicate endemic racism and anti-Semitism under the decades of leadership of her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is closer to power than ever before ahead of next Sunday’s second round of voting.
Additionally, the RN electoral party in the northern town of Hénin-Beaumont held a celebration after the results were announced, CNN reported.
Voting began at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. Eastern Time) on Sunday, beginning the process of electing the 577-member National Assembly.
The election, scheduled three years before the usual term, comes after the Renaissance Party suffered a major setback in recent European Parliament elections, where it won the majority.
President Macron responded swiftly to the defeat, acknowledging the message of voters and opting to call early general elections, France’s first since 1997, CNN reported.
Regardless of the outcome of the election, Macron has pledged to serve as president until the next presidential election in 2027.
The election process is split into two rounds: the current first round, which narrows down the field of candidates, and the second round, where candidates will compete for the majority needed to win seats. According to CNN, candidates need to receive at least 12.5% of the vote to advance to the second round, which will determine the final results.
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