France’s right-wing National Rally is expected to emerge as the single largest party in the first round of the parliamentary election. National Rally led by its new leader, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, will secure nearly 34 percent of the vote, followed by the newly formed alliance of leftist and Marxist parties, the New Popular Front, which secured 28.5 percent, polls released after Sunday vote show.
“According to an estimate by French polling institute Ipsos Talan, the far-right National Rally party is estimated to win between 230 and 280 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly,” the TV channel France24 reported.
This is few seats short of the 289-mark needed to form the government in the 577-seat National Assembly parliament. National Assembly’s possible post-election coalition partner, the conservative Republicans, is set to get between 41-61 seats with 10 percent of the vote share, early polls indicate.
The French news agency AFP, however, reported National Rally gaining majority in the first round of the vote. “The polling agencies projected this would give the RN a majority of seats in the 577-seat National Assembly after the second round and a possible absolute majority,” the news agency reported.
“The second biggest group is projected to be the leftist New Popular Front, with between 125 and 165 seats, and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble at between 70 and 100 seats,” the France24 TV.
President Emmanuel Macron Ensemble party was trailing at the third place with some 20 percent. President Macron called the snap elections after his party was trounced by the National Rally in the recent European Union election.
This is the first times a right-wing nationalist party has come close to forming a government on its own in a major European power since World War II. Amid open borders and surging migrant crime, the right-wing parties emerged as the third biggest force in this month’s European election, behind the socialist and conservative blocs, winning nearly a quarter of the 720 seats.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) party came second in the recent EU election, with 16 percent of the vote. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is polling at 19 percent ahead of the next week’s general election.
The left-wing parties are trying to join forces to reverse the National Rally’s gains in the second round of voting set for July 7.
“Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of left-wing party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), told supporters that the party will withdraw candidates in second-round three-way races in an effort to block the far-right National Rally from legislative power,” the France-based Euronews TV reported.
Long-time National Rally leader Marine Le Pen urged the voters to give her party an ‘absolute majority’ in the second round, which party’s prime ministerial candidate Jordan Bardella will need to form a government without support from other parties.
The BBC reported Le Pen remarks following the early results:
The National Rally’s Marine Le Pen has just addressed cheering supporters in her northern constituency of Henin-Beaumont.”Democracy has spoken and the French have put the RN and its allies at the top, practically wiping out the Macron camp,” she says.She adds that people clearly want to “turn the page after seven years of scornful and corrosive rule” and asks people to vote for the RN again next Sunday in the second round.”We need an absolute majority so that [RN leader] Jordan Bardella can be appointed prime minister in a week’s time,” she adds.
Meanwhile, the stunning right-wing victory triggered leftist meltdown and street rioting.
Refusing to accept the election outcome, leftists and migrant gangs went on rampage in cities across France, social media posts suggest.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY