Preliminary projections indicate that French President Emmanuel Macron’s party is expected to come third, with around 20.3 percent of the vote.
The right-wing National Rally party is projected to win the largest share of the vote in France’s first round of parliamentary balloting on June 30.
Preliminary projections indicate that French President Emmanuel Macron’s party is on track for a defeat in the National Assembly, where 577 seats are up for grabs. Early results show Mr. Macron’s party falling behind both the right-wing party and the left-wing coalition.
According to early exit polling by Ipsos, the National Rally Party—France’s leading right-wing populist party—is expected to win around 34 percent of the vote. The left-wing New Popular Front coalition is on track for second place, with around 28.1 percent.
Mr. Macron’s party, meanwhile, is expected to come third, with around 20.3 percent of the vote.
This election has drawn an unusually high turnout, with reports that around 60 percent of French voters participated, with a few hours still to go.
However, today’s results, should exit polls prove accurate, only represent the first round of voting. Races where a candidate failed to garner 50 percent or more of the vote will go to a runoff on July 7.
The results represent the largest right-wing victory in France since the end of World War II, and could represent a political earthquake for the French Republic should the National Rally expand their lead to a majority in the second round of balloting.
Some of those races will include up to three contenders.
Winning a parliamentary majority would enable National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to install her 28-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, as prime minister. She inherited the party, then called the National Front, from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Addressing a jubilant crowd waving French tricolor flags of blue, white, and red, Ms. Le Pen called on her supporters and voters who didn’t back her party in the first round to push it over the line and give it a commanding legislative majority. That scenario would force Mr. Bardella and Mr. Macron into a power-sharing arrangement. Mr. Macron has said he will not step down before his term expires in 2027.
By Joseph Lord
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