France with highest voter turnout since 1981
France is pushing towards the ballot boxes. More than one in four voters have already used their right to vote before noon. The second round is decisive for the final seat distribution in the Parliament.
Facing the intensity of the ballot box, the French are streaming to the polling stations in large numbers for the second round of the parliamentary elections. According to official figures, around 26.6 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by noon. This is the highest turnout at this stage since 1981. In the first round a week ago, turnout was almost 25.9 percent at noon. Calculations are expected to be completed around 8:00 PM CET.
The latest polls do not show an absolute majority for the Rassemblement National (RN) of Marine Le Pen. They would therefore obtain between 205 and 240 seats. They would thus be the largest force in the National Assembly for the first time, but would fall significantly short of the absolute majority of 289 seats.
President Emmanuel Macron had dissolved the National Assembly and announced new elections after the victory of Le Pen's Rassemblement National in the European elections in early June. The National Assembly is one of the two French parliamentary chambers. It is involved in legislation and can bring down the government through a vote of no confidence.
In the first round, the Right-wing Nationalists were leading, followed by the new Left Alliance and Macron's Centre-Right bloc in third place. 76 of the 577 seats were already allocated, most of them to the RN (39) or the Left Alliance (32) - the decision in the remaining constituencies will now be made in the runoff.
In 1981, there were elections for the National Assembly and the Presidency. While the Socialists won the most seats in the June parliamentary elections, Francois Mitterrand won the presidential race in April and May against Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
Emmanuel Macron's call for new elections following the Rassemblement National's victory in the European elections has put Politics in France at a critical juncture. Despite the RN likely securing the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, Emmanuel Macron's party and its allies could potentially challenge them, as the outcome of the second round elections remains uncertain.
