The far-right party Rassemblement National in France scored a convincing early lead in the first round of the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, according to pollsters, yielding a controversial leader Marine Le Pen one step closer to forming a government.
President Emmanuel Macronof the centrist Renaissance Party, performed a high-stakes gamble last month by dissolving parliament after National Rally made significant gains in the European Parliament elections.
Macron hoped that National Rally’s tough immigration policy and anti-Semitic history would dampen votes in the parliamentary elections, but that was not the case on Sunday.
According to early forecasts, National Rally and its allied parties won about 33 percent of the vote in the first round. A left-wing coalition of parties received 28 percent of the votes, while Macron’s coalition received 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 elections in which Macron triumphed over Le Pen as president. In those elections, turnout was just under 40 percent.
If National Rally were to gain a majority in parliament, Macron would be forced to appoint a National Rally member – likely party chairman Jordan Bardella – as prime minister. It would also effectively block his agenda.
Macron has faced with numerous challenges in recent months, including unrest about inflation and the economy in general. Opponents campaigned mainly on the rise in the cost of living and other common economic complaints about the French government.
Renaissance and the left-wing coalition have meanwhile attacked National Rally for its nativist policies, including a proposed large-scale immigration policy and restrictions on the rights of people with dual citizenship.
Bardella has already pledged to cut arms sales to Ukraine if elected, a marked shift from Macron, who is one of Kiev’s staunchest allies in Europe.
The 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.
There will be a runoff in districts where no parliamentary candidate has won 50 percent of the vote, and the maneuvering in the coming days will determine the dynamics of each local race. National Rally would need 289 of the 577 seats to secure an outright majority.
“The far right is at the gates of power,” said Attal, who twice described the promises of the Rassemblement National as “disastrous.” He added that in the second round of voting, “not a single vote should go to the Rassemblement National. France does not deserve that.”
Macron’s coalition finished a distant third in the vote, behind a left-wing coalition that came second.
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 ‘absolute majority’ in parliament
Le Pen appeared enthusiastic about the results and urged his supporters 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 “are ready to turn the page after seven years of contemptuous and undermining 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,” “opening 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 will take place on July 7.
The Associated Press contributed.
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