France’s first round of parliamentary elections has concluded, with the far-right National Rally taking the lead according to exit polls. The Ipsos Talon institute predicts that Marine Le Pen’s party will receive over 34% of the vote, making them the largest party in the French National Assembly. The “New Popular Front” alliance of left and far-left forces is in second place with 28%, while President Emmanuel Macron’s “Together” supporters are in third with 20%.
In response to the results, Macron has called for a united front against the far right in the second round of elections on July 7, emphasizing the need for a broad alliance of democratic and republican forces. Le Pen, on the other hand, has urged for maximum support for the National Rally in the second round, aiming to secure an absolute majority in parliament and install Bardella as prime minister.
The National Assembly consists of 577 deputies, and it is anticipated that after the two rounds of elections, the National Rally will secure between 230-280 mandates, while Together will have between 70-100 deputies.
Macron decided to hold early elections following his party’s success in European Parliament elections last year. However, despite making significant changes to his political stance by shifting to the right to attract voters from National Rally and its allies, he still did not see favorable results.
The National Rally evolved from Jean Marie Le Pen’s original National Front and was historically marginalized in French politics. Other parties formed coalitions without their involvement until recently when they became staunch supporters of Israel.