In the first round of the early general election held in France yesterday, the far-right National Rally (RN) party led by Marine Le Pen came in first with more than 33 percent of the vote. According to data released by the Ministry of Interior, the far-right alliance came in first with 33.15 percent of the vote, while the New Popular Front Alliance, formed by left-wing parties, came in second with 28 percent. President Emmanuel Macron’s “Together for the Republic” alliance came in third with 20 percent of the vote.
While 76 of the 577 seats in the House of Representatives were won in the first round, the owners of the remaining 501 seats will be determined in the second round, on July 7.
The far-right RN, which has increased its votes in the last three elections in France, came in first with 31.4 percent in the most recent European Parliament elections on June 9, prompting President Macron to dissolve the Parliament and call early elections.
While the rise of the far-right in the country caused protests, the center parties called for cooperation against the far-right and the left parties came together and participated in the election under the name of the New People’s Front Alliance.
President Macron, whose term expires in April 2027, has said he will not resign even if his far-right RN party gains a majority in Parliament.
