The French far-right wing party National Rally (RN) is leading the first round of France’s snap legislative elections held on Sunday, according to projections published by research firm Elabe.
According to the projections, RN and its allies have gained 33 percent of the votes, which should give them between 260 and 310 seats in the National Assembly.
Following the RN, the New Popular Front (NFP), the left-wing parties electoral alliance, should have gained 28.5 percent of the votes with between 115 and 145 seats in the future National Assembly.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition comes in third with 22 percent of the votes which would allow them to elect 90 to 120 deputies, the projections show.
Following the announcement of projections, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally called on voters to vote for the RN in the upcoming second round of the legislative elections to allow the RN the “absolute majority” in the National Assembly, which will allow the far-right wing party to occupy the position of prime minister in the next government.
For Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, the 2nd round of the legislative elections will be “one of the most decisive in the entire history of the Fifth Republic.”
“I call on all French people attached to their freedom, to the recovery of France, to join us,” he said.
Speaking to his supporters, Jean-Luc Melenchon of the NFP said that the French “are heading towards a second round of exceptional intensity.”
He called on voters to choose the New Popular Front over the National Rally, as the NFP is the “only” alternative following the “heavy and indisputable” defeat of President Macron’s coalition.
The second round of the elections set for July 7 will eventually decide how many deputies political camps will have in the National Assembly.
