Prominent winners and losers in France
During the French parliamentary elections, many candidates had to wait until July 7th, but several prominent winners and losers have already been determined after the first round. The right-wing populist Marine Le Pen has already won her constituency in northern France.
In the advanced elections in France, several dozen government members and prominent politicians have run. Some have already secured their places on Sunday evening - or didn't even qualify for the second round on July 7th. An overview:
Elected
The Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure was elected in his constituency in the Seine-et-Marne department, where he has been sitting in the National Assembly since 2012.
The right-wing populist Marine Le Pen was re-elected in her constituency in northern France. She intends to remain as the leader of the group in the National Assembly and prepare for the presidential election in 2027 - possibly even earlier, if she manages to force President Emmanuel Macron to resign.
Qualified for the second round
The former Socialist President Francois Hollande leads in his constituency in central French Correze with 38% of the votes. He must face a National Rally (RN) candidate who has obtained 31% of the votes, as well as a candidate from the conservative Republicans.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin leads in his constituency, but unlike in 2022, he must go to the second round. He had announced that he would resign from his position in the event of a defeat for the government camp - despite being responsible for the security of the Olympic Summer Games in Paris at the time.
Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne must also go to the second round. Borne is in second place behind an RN candidate. Sejourne is in the lead.
Eric Ciotti, the controversial party leader of the Republicans, who went against the will of his party by forming an electoral alliance with the right-wing populists, leads in his constituency with 44% of the votes. The remaining party leadership had fielded a counter-candidate in his constituency.
Marie-Caroline Le Pen, sister of the former party leader Marine Le Pen, has qualified for the second round for the RN. She had previously failed in her parliamentary election attempts four times.
The RN politician Roger Chudeau, who is seen as a candidate for the Ministry of Education, has narrowly missed the absolute majority. He had criticized the former Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem for her dual nationality.
Eliminated
The leader of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, has been eliminated. In the first round, an RN candidate won in his constituency.
Also eliminated was the former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, who served a prison sentence for tax fraud and attempted a political comeback.
Emmanuel Macron, the current president of France, is expected to participate in the second round of the elections in several constituencies due to the division of votes in the first round. Rassemblement National, led by Marine Le Pen, has multiple candidates who have qualified for the second round in various regions, indicating a strong presence in French politics.
