The far-right National Rally (RN) party took the lead in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, as initial projections showed.
This brings the RN closer to power than ever before.
The RN bloc leads with 34% of the votes, followed by the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition with 28.1%. President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble alliance is third with 20.3%, according to estimates by Ipsos, a political research giant.
Moreover, while the RN is on track to win the most seats in the National Assembly, it may not reach the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority, which could result in a hung parliament — a situation where no single party wins the majority.
Projections suggested that in the 577-seat-parliament, RN could win between 230 and 280 seats, the NFP between 125 and 165 seats, and Ensemble between 70 and 100 seats.
The election, called by Macron after his party’s poor performance in the European Parliament elections, might force him into an uneasy partnership with a prime minister from an opposition party.
At the RN election party in Henin Beaumont, supporters celebrated the results. Speaking to the happy supporters, RN’s presidential candidate for 2027, Marine Le Pen, emphasised the importance of next Sunday’s vote.
She said, “Democracy has spoken, and the French people have placed the National Rally and its allies in the first place and has practically erased the Macronist bloc.
“Nothing has been won – and the second round will be decisive.”
The second round of the parliamentary election will be held on Sunday, July 7. France’s National Assembly elections are held in two rounds. If no candidate wins outright in the first round, the top two candidates and any candidate with over 12.5% of registered voters move to the second round. The candidate with the most votes in the second round wins the seat.
Je remercie les électeurs de ma circonscription qui me renouvellent leur confiance en me réélisant dès le premier tour avec 58% des voix.
L’objectif désormais : obtenir dimanche prochain une majorité absolue à l’Assemblée nationale.
Merci à tous ! pic.twitter.com/w3qNdcUrLZ
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) June 30, 2024
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