The French went to the polls early Sunday in the second round of parliamentary elections that will change the political landscape, as polls predicted the far-right National Rally party would win the most votes, though not enough to secure it. the majority.
Such a result is expected to plunge the country into a political crisis, a few weeks before the Olympic Games begin, and is expected to significantly weaken the power of President Emmanuel Macron.
If the nationalist and Eurosceptic National Rally wins the majority in Parliament, then Macron will find himself in a very difficult “survival” situation.
The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, scored historic gains in the first round of elections last Sunday, raising the prospect of France having a far-right-led government for the first time since World War II.
However, after centrist and leftist parties joined forces over the past week to try to prevent the National Rally from triumphing, Marine Le Pen’s hopes of winning a supermajority in the 577-seat National Assembly have been visibly dashed.
Polls suggest the National Rally will dominate the legislature, but will fall short of a majority of the 289 seats.
Voting centers opened at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 6:00 p.m. in small towns and cities, and at 8:00 p.m. in large cities.
The first predictions of the election result are expected to be published immediately after the voting is over.
The result will mainly depend on the voters’ decision to accept or not the calls of the alliances to prevent the coming of the National Rally to power.
Even if the National Rally fails to win an overwhelming majority in Parliament, the party is on track to double the 89 seats it won in the 2022 elections, and play a key role in a Parliament short of a majority, which it will make the government of France very difficult.
Such a result risks bringing political gridlock until Macron’s presidential term ends in 2027, when Le Pen is expected to run for a fourth term for France’s top post. /REL/
