Far-right leads in first round of snap general elections in France

According to exit polls in the first round of France's snap general elections, the far-right, which has increased its vote share, is leading the race with 34 percent.

Voting, which began at 08:00 local time, concluded at 18:00 in mainland France and at 20:00 in major cities such as Paris, Marseille, and Nice.

According to exit polls, the far-right National Rally (RN) party received 34 percent of the vote in the first round and is leading the race.

The New Popular Front alliance, formed by left-wing and environmentalist parties, placed second with 28 percent.

President Emmanuel Macron's "Together for the Republic" alliance is in third place with around 20 percent of the vote.

While the center-right The Republicans (LR) party and its allies received around 10 percent of the vote, the voter turnout was 67.5 percent.

The second round of the snap general elections, in which 577 deputies who will serve in the National Assembly for 5 years will be elected, will be held on July 7.

Unofficial results for the first round of the election are expected within hours, and official results are expected to be announced by the Ministry of the Interior on July 1.

FIRST DEPUTY ELECTED IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

According to the unofficial results of the High Commission in French Polynesia, anti-independence center-right candidate Moerani Frebault was elected as a deputy in the first round of the election in the 1st constituency, receiving 54 percent of the vote.

Due to the time difference between mainland France and its overseas territories, Frebault became the first deputy elected in the first round.

HOW FRANCE HEADED TO SNAP ELECTIONS

The far-right National Rally (RN), which has continued to increase its votes in the last 3 elections in France, most recently placed first by a wide margin with 31.4 percent in the European Parliament (EP) elections on June 9. Following this, President Emmanuel Macron decided to dissolve the Assembly and go to snap elections, with the first round on June 30 and the second round on July 7.

The rise of the far-right in the country caused protests, and demonstrations were held in many cities.

Many figures from centrist parties in France called for cooperation against the far-right, and the Socialist Party (PS), La France Insoumise (LFI), The Greens (EELV), and the French Communist Party (PCF) on the left spectrum announced that they would act together and decided to enter the election under the name of the New Popular Front alliance.

The far-right RN formed an alliance with Eric Ciotti, the leader of the center-right The Republicans (LR) party, and some LR members, while the ruling Renaissance party and its partners MoDem and Horizons party formed the "Together for the Republic" alliance.

President Macron, whose term ends in April 2027, had announced that he would not resign even if the far-right RN party secured a majority in the Assembly.

News Source: 12punto