Parliamentary election in France: Highest voter turnout since 1981 by midday
At the first round of voting a week ago, around 12.00 PM, 25.9 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots. Now, approximately 26.6 percent had done so. In some regions, participation in the decisive vote for the country's future reached over 30 percent.
Most polling stations close at 6.00 PM, but in large cities, they close as late as 8.00 PM. The first projections will be released at 8.00 PM. In at least 50 constituencies, a very close election outcome is expected. Elected under majority vote rule - meaning the winner in a constituency enters the National Assembly. The loser's votes are not considered.
"We stand at a turning point in the Republic's history," said retired man Antoine Schrameck near a polling station in a community near Strasbourg. Several prominent politicians also cast their votes on Sunday morning, including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Government Chief Gabriel Attal, and former President Francois Hollande, who was running in a second-round contest against an RN candidate in the central French department of Correze.
French President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly called for new elections following the RN's triumph in the European elections on June 9. In the event of an absolute majority of right-wing populists in parliament after Sunday's vote, Macron could be politically compelled to appoint RN leader Jordan Bardella as prime minister.
If the RN fails to secure an absolute majority, the formation of three blocs in the National Assembly is likely, which could hinder the government and potentially plunge the country into a political crisis. It is expected that Prime Minister Attal would resign in the event of a defeat for his camp. Macron could accept the resignation and keep his current cabinet in place as an interim government, perhaps until the Olympics, which begin at the end of July.
Since 76 mandates were awarded in the first round on June 30, only voters in the remaining 501 constituencies were called to vote on Sunday. All candidates who received at least 12.5 percent of the votes from registered voters in the first round are eligible to participate in the second round.
The tactical withdrawal of over 200 candidates from the New People's Front and the government camp has made an absolute majority for the RN less likely. However, it was not impossible to predict how many voters would follow the recommendations of the candidates who had withdrawn to hinder RN candidates.
The level of voter turnout and the number of invalid votes are crucial. In the first round a week ago, voter turnout was 66.7 percent.
French citizens in the overseas territories voted on Saturday. French citizens living abroad could already vote online since Wednesday. In France, there is no postal voting, but voters can designate someone else to cast their vote for them.
The RN and its allies received 33 percent of the votes in the first round. The left-green electoral alliance New People's Front was in second place with 28 percent. The government camp had around 20 percent. The latest polls suggested that the gap between the three blocs could narrow.
The tension in the country is great. Before the decisive election round, dozens of candidates and campaigners were attacked, among them Government Spokesperson Prisca Thevenot. For the securing of the ballot box process, 30,000 policemen are in action, 5000 of them in Paris.
- Retired man Antoine Schrameck, near a polling station, commented on the importance of the run-off election for Édouard Philippe's vision for France's future.
- The run-off election saw high turnout, with some regions exceeding 30% participation, indicating a strong interest in the election round's outcome.
- Former President Francois Hollande joined several prominent politicians in casting their votes during the parliamentary election on Sunday, including Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal.
- Emmanuel Macron's call for new elections following the Rassemblement National's triumph in the European elections on June 9 added an explosiveness to the lead-up to the run-off election.
- If the Rassemblement National achieves an absolute majority in the parliamentary election, François Hollande's prospects of facing an RN candidate in a second-round contest might be refuted.
- The tactical withdrawal of candidates from the new People's Front and government camp has decreased the likelihood of an Rassemblement National absolute majority in the parliamentary election.
- In Strasbourg, over 200 candidates withdrew from the parliamentary election, potentially impacting voter turnout and the Rassemblement National's chances in the decisive election round.
- Despite the uncertainty surrounding the voter turnout and invalid votes in the run-off election, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal vowed to press on and face the consequences of the parliamentary election results, set for Sunday.
- French citizens living abroad, as well as those in the overseas territories, participated in the parliamentary election process, contributing to France's overall voter turnout.
- Until the final election results are published, political tensions will remain high in France, as the country prepares for its future with either Édouard Philippe or a potential Rassemblement National prime minister at the helm.
