National Rally Party takes lead in first round of French parliamentary election
The right-wing National Rally party is leading in the first round of early parliamentary elections in France, according to preliminary data released by the BFMTV television channel.
Accordingly, the National Rally Party won 33% of the votes, the left-wing New People's Front (NPF) party won 28.5% and the presidential coalition Together for the Republic had 22%.
According to the Elable polling agency, after the second round of voting, the National Rally Party could win from 260 to 310 seats in the French National Assembly, the New Popular Front could win from 115 to 145 seats, and Together for the Republic - from 90 to 120 seats.
So far, neither party has won an absolute majority. The second round of voting will be held on July 7. Analysts do not rule out the possibility that the presidential coalition and the New People's Front could reach a deal to thwart the National Rally party.
In a related development, BFMTV reported election results in Henin-Beaumont, saying that Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Rally party in parliament, once again won a seat in the lower house of parliament.
By law, a candidate needs to win more than half of the votes in his constituency to win in the first round of voting.
Ms Le Pen urged her supporters to go to the polls on 7 July when the second round of parliamentary elections will be held.
“Victory is not yet certain. Everything will be decided in the second round of voting,” she said. “We need an absolute majority so that President Emmanuel Macron can appoint Jordan Bardella as prime minister in eight days.”
Earlier, on June 9, French President Macron announced his decision to dissolve the lower house of the French National Assembly and hold early parliamentary elections after the heavy defeat of the president's Renaissance Party in the European Parliament elections, where the party (with 14.6%) was dominated by the opposition National Rally Party (with 31.4%). The last time the lower house was dissolved was in 1997 under President Jacques Chirac.
