Marine Le-Pen of France’s far-right Rassemblement National has expressed optimism despite her party losing the second round of key parliamentary elections. Initial forecasts had predicted a surprise victory for the new left-wing alliance.
“The tide continues to rise and our victory today has only been postponed,” Le Pen said after initial projections based on early vote counts put the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) in first place.
She and her party made gains compared to a coalition of all movements, Le Pen said.
The Rassemblement National won the first round of voting on June 30, but fell to third place on Sunday, with an expected 135-145 split in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
The NFP is expected to win 177 to 198 seats, followed by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist camp with 152 to 169 seats, down from the 245 seats predicted by broadcasters TF1 and France 2 in their last forecast after polls closed on Sunday evening.
If the predicted result is confirmed, it would still represent a significant gain in seats for the National Rally.
