According to early estimates by pollsters Ipsos, the far-right National Rally is on course to win 34 percent of Sunday’s vote while French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance suffered staggering losses, coming third with 20.3 percent of vote. The left-wing alliance made a strong showing with 28.1 percent of the vote.
Seat projections however are conjectural at this stage and dependent on political decisions taken in the coming days ahead of the second round of voting on July 7. Macron himself is due to stay in power until the end of his mandate in 2027, regardless of the outcome of this assembly election.France is voting in a crucial snap election that looks set to have a resounding impact across the continent at a critical time.
On Sunday, the French president called for “democratic and republican” forces to unite against Le Pen’s party. “Faced with the National Rally, we need to foster a wide unity that is clearly democratic and republican ahead of the second round,” Macron said, according to a statement from the Elysée Palace. “The high turnout … shows how important the vote was for our fellow citizens, and how they want to clarify the political situation.