France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s Centrist Alliance is expected to retain a majority in parliament after the first vote on Sunday, but it is predicted that it could have far fewer seats than it was five years ago.
Predictions based on partial election results show that at the national level, Macron’s party and its allies won about 25% to 26% of the votes. It was the estimate and stranglehold of a new left-wing coalition of hard left, socialists, and supporters of the Green Party. Still, Macron’s candidates are expected to win in more districts than their left-wing rivals, giving the president a majority.
In the first round of the election, more than 6,000 candidates between the ages of 18 and 92 won 577 seats in the French parliament on Sunday.
France’s two-round system is complex and not proportional to national support for the party. For races where there was no definitive winner on Sunday, up to four candidates, each with more than 12.5% of support, will participate in the second round of voting on June 19.
After Macron was reelected in May, his Nakamichi coalition sought an absolute majority to carry out the promises of the campaign, including tax cuts and raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 65.
But Sunday’s forecast is that Macron’s party and allies could struggle to win more than half of the parliamentary seats when they won 361 seats five years ago. Opinion polls estimated that Macron’s centrists could get more than 300 seats out of 255, and the left-wing coalition led by Jean-Luc Melenchon could get more than 200 seats.
Voter turnout reached record lows in parliamentary elections on Sunday, with less than half of France’s 48.7 million voters throwing ballots.
“We have a week of action, a week to persuade, and a week to get a strong and clear majority,” said Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne.
“We cannot risk destabilization because we are facing world affairs and war at the doorstep of Europe,” she said, urging voters to gather behind Macron’s alliance in the second round. .. “In the face of extremes, we will not give in.”
Melenchon, who wanted to become prime minister in the election, refused to accept preliminary predictions, claiming that the coalition came first.
“It doesn’t make any sense to predict the number of seats at this time,” he said.
Melenchon urged the French to select candidates for the coalition in the second round and “completely reject Macron’s majority of fateful projects.” His platform included a significant increase in the minimum wage, a reduction to the retirement age of 60, and a fixed energy price soaring due to the Ukrainian war.
Even if Macron defeats his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, French parliamentary elections have traditionally been a difficult competition for the far-right candidate. Rivals of other parties tend to coordinate or stand aside to increase their chances of defeating the far-right candidate in the second round.
It is predicted that Le Pen’s Far Right National Coalition Party could get 10 to 30 seats from 8 seats five years ago. When it exceeds the 15-seat threshold, it can form a parliamentary group and gain greater power in parliament.
Le Penn, who ran for reelection at the home of Hénin-Beaumont in northern France, praised Sunday’s results.
“It’s important to prevent Emmanuel Macron from winning the absolute majority next Sunday. He abuses it to implement selfish and brutal methods and impose antisocial projects.” She said.
Le Pen asked voters not to vote or vote for districts with only Macron or Melenchon candidates.
Outside the polling place in the working class district of Paris, voters either support the Macron Party to eliminate smooth governance and extremist views, or oppose more political views. Discussed whether to support.
“If there is a parliament that is not in perfect agreement with the government, it allows for more interesting conversations and discussions,” said retired scientist Dominique Devale. “But on the other hand, (division) is always a sign of failure in some way.”
