Elections in France:

Parliamentary elections in France have begun

Reason to celebrate: supporters of Marine Le Pen's right-wing populist party RN wave French flags after the first projections were published.

(Bild: AFP/FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP)

In the first round of the early parliamentary elections in France, Marine Le Pen's right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National is clearly ahead. President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp is only in third place. The decisive vote is still to come.

The right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) has emerged as the strongest force in the first round of the early parliamentary elections in France. According to the official results published on Monday, Marine Le Pen's party and her allies received 33% of the vote.

Second place for left-wing alliance
Macron's centrist government camp came a distant third with around 20 percent. According to the projections, the New Popular Front (left-wing alliance) achieved 28%.

Results in detail:

2nd round on July 7
According to several forecasts, the RN could end up with a relative or absolute majority after the second round on July 7. Voter turnout was exceptionally high at up to almost 70%. 

Reason to celebrate: supporters of Marine Le Pen's right-wing populist party RN wave French flags after the first projections were published.

(Bild: AFP)

(Bild: AFP/FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP)

This testifies to the "importance of this election for all our compatriots and the will to clarify the political situation", emphasized Macron. "Your democratic choice commits us", he added. 

Macron immediately called for a "broad, democratic and republican alliance" in light of the right-wing populists' election victory. He left open whether he expects the candidates from his government camp to withdraw in favor of a candidate from the left-green New Popular Front.

French President Emmanuel Macron called early elections.

(Bild: AFP)

Withdrawal of around 60 candidates from the governing camp
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the withdrawal of around 60 candidates from the government camp in the second round of elections. He said on Sunday evening in Paris that this should prevent the victory of right-wing populist candidates. "No vote must go to the Rassemblement National", Attal emphasized.

Le Pen hopes for an absolute
The former leader of the RN, Marine Le Pen, called on her supporters to give her party an "absolute majority" in the next round. Macron's camp has been "practically wiped out", explained Le Pen, who was elected in the first round of voting in her constituency in the north.

Marine Le Pen

(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

RN leader already sees himself as "Prime Minister of all the French"
RN party leader Jordan Bardella already sees himself as the future "Prime Minister of all French people" if his party wins an absolute majority. He will be "loyal to the constitution, but unyielding", he announced. The second round will be "one of the most important election rounds in the history" of the Fifth Republic, which was founded in 1958, said the 28-year-old.

Jordan Bardella, head of the RN

(Bild: AFP)

Conservatives join forces with right-wing populists
The controversial leader of France's conservative party Les Républicains, Éric Ciotti, called on all conservatives to join his much-criticized alliance with the RN.

"Victory is in sight tonight," Ciotti said on Sunday evening after the strong performance of the RN and the Républicains candidates who had decided to support the RN with Ciotti. "The historic union we have built with Jordan Bardella has put an end to long years of immobility on the right. This result is a great success." With their votes, the French have expressed their desire for change and transformation.

Left-wing populists declare war on the right
Left-wing populist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared that his party La France Insoumise (LFI) would withdraw its candidates if they came third in a three-way constellation in a constituency. The result was "a serious and indisputable defeat for Macron", he said.

LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon

(Bild: AFP)

The distribution of the 577 seats in the National Assembly will depend on whether and how many candidates withdraw in the second round of voting, for example to prevent an RN candidate from winning.

A coming together of the fundamentally different political players for a government alliance after the election is currently not foreseeable. Without a clear majority in the National Assembly, France would be threatened with gridlock. As the National Assembly can topple the government, it needs a majority in the parliamentary chamber to do its job.