Snap polls for the 577-member French National Assembly took place on June 30, which saw the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le-Pen, with the 28-year-old Jordan Bardella its PM face, reportedly secure 33.15% of the votes in its first round.

The results saw the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance of various Left parties, and incumbent President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance gather 28.14% and 20.76% of the votes, respectively.

France witnessed a heavy turnout, surpassing the voting percentage of previous elections over the past four decades, as the far-right eyed a stab at power.

At 5 pm local time (8.30 pm IST), three hours before the official close of the polls, 59.39% of the electorate had exercised their franchise, as per figures from the Ministry of the Interior. In 2022, the turnout at the same time was just 39.4%, as per news reports.

Projections are expected soon after the close of the election, whose results will not only impact the political fate of President Emmanuel Macron but also the course of the country and the European Union.

While 289 seats are required to win a majority, the French political system is slightly complex and can stretch to a second round, in which candidates whose support did not reach 12.5% of all locally registered voters are eliminated.

Only those who secure 50% of the vote with a turnout of at least one-fourth of the local electorate win automatically in the first round.

The run-off will take place in a week, on July 7.

Elections called by Prez Macron

The elections, which were not due until 2027, were called in a surprise announcement by Macron on June 9 after the National Rally Party decisively defeated his alliance in the European Parliament elections.

While the decision was seen as a gamble, Macron had no option as he failed to win a majority for his party in the previous (2022) elections, held soon after his re-election, and was hamstrung in passing new laws or reforms.

The prospect of either the far-right or the left gaining power is seen as leading to a “civil war” - as Macron himself warned recently, a poll published on June 28 indicated that 40% of respondents fear this eventuality in case either party from the extremes of the political spectrum gains power, as per news reports.

However, Macron has announced that even if his party loses, he will not quit as president before 2027, when his term ends.

Dealing with political opponents controlling the legislature will be tough, as the parliament cannot be dismissed for another election for at least a year.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)