France’s Far Right Wins First Round of Snap Parliamentary Elections; President Emmanuel Macron’s Party Comes in Third
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After dominating the European elections by a landslide, the French far-right party Rassemblement National (National Rally, or RN) won the first round of the snap parliamentary elections with approximately 34% of votes, according to exit polls on June 30.
The socialist party Nouveau Front Populaire party garnered an estimated 29%, while France’s President Emmanuel Macron came in third with approximately 21%. The elections, which Macron called in the wake of the European vote, drew 69.7% of voters — the highest turnout for parliamentary elections since 1986.
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The second round of the election will take place on July 7, less than a month before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.
When Macron announced his decision to dissolve the National Assembly on June 9, he called it an “act of trust. In the capacity of French people to make the best choice of itself and for future generations. Trust in our democracy.”
But based on the defeat of Macron’s clan on the first round of these elections, the French President will likely have to cohabit with a prime minister belonging to the far right. Jordan Bardella, a close ally to Marine Le Pen, is well positioned to take that role.
It’s a historic win for the far right which could end up dominating the National Assembly with as many as 260 to 310 seats, more than twice as many seats as Macron’s party, according to BFM TV news channel. Macron’s presidential mandate ends in 2027.
More to come…
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