dpa
Paris
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) appears to hold a clear lead in the first round of the snap nationwide elections for control of the lower house of parliament, according to first projections.
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by his Renaissance party, looked to be stumbling to a third-place finish in the first round of voting, according to the preliminary results reported by broadcasters TF1 and France 2 shortly after the polls closed on Sunday.
The RN, alongside its far-right allies, gained 34% to 34.2% of the vote. The left-wing New Popular Front alliance was in second place with 28.1% to 29.1%.
Macron’s Ensemble came third with 20.3% to 21.5%, according to the broadcasters.
How many seats the blocs will get in the National Assembly will only be decided in run-off elections on July 7.
The result is almost certainly a bitter defeat for Macron, who had gambled that early elections would increase the relative majority held by his party and its allies in the lower house.
That now seems extremely unlikely. If, according to forecasts, neither camp wins an absolute majority, France would face tough negotiations to form a coalition government.
The security forces in France have prepared for the possibility of unrest in some of the country’s major cities on the evening of the first round of voting.
Initial forecasts project that Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populists and their allies could become the strongest force in the lower house with 230 to 280 seats. However, they could fall short of an absolute majority with 289 seats.
The hard left could also make gains and reach 125 to 200 seats. Macron’s supporters are in danger of dropping to just 60 to 100 seats.
Before the second round of voting, the parties can still forge local alliances that will influence the outcome of the election.
Candidates securing an absolute majority in the first round are elected to the assembly, but in most constituencies the victor will emerge only after the second round on July 7.
