Paris (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance is expected to remain in the parliamentary majority after the first round of voting, according to forecasts on Sunday.
Predictions based on partial election results showed that nationwide, Macron’s party and its allies received approximately 25-26 percent of the vote. This put them in opposition to the new leftist coalition, made up of leftist extremists, socialists and Green Party supporters. However, Macron’s candidates are more likely to win in more constituencies than their left -wing rivals, giving the president a majority.
More than 6,000 candidates, between 18 and 92, ran for 577 seats in the first round of French National Assembly elections on Sunday.
The two-round voting system is complex and disproportionate to party support across the country. For the French races with no decisive win on Sunday, up to four candidates who will receive at least 12.5% support will compete in the second round of voting on June 19th.
Consumer concerns about rising inflation dominated the campaign, but voter enthusiasm still waned. This can be seen in the turnout of voters on Sunday, which showed that less than half of France’s 48.7 million voters received the vote.
Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who hoped the election would take him to the post of prime minister, was among voters when he voted in Marseille, a southern port city.
On the other coast of France, a small crowd gathered to watch Macron as he arrived in the resort town of Le Touque on the English Channel to vote.
After Macron was re -elected in May, his centrist coalition demanded an absolute majority that would allow him to fulfill election promises, which include tax cuts and raising France’s retirement age from 62 to 65.
However, a prediction on Sunday shows that Macron’s party and allies may have a hard time winning more than half of the Assembly seats this time around. A government with a large but not absolute majority will still be able to govern, but it will have some support from opposition lawmakers.
Election agencies estimate that Macron’s centrists could win 255 to 300 seats, while Melenchon’s left coalition could win more than 200 seats. The last word in the Senate is the National Assembly when it comes to voting on laws.
The Melenchon platform predicts a significant increase in the minimum wage, a reduction in the retirement age to 60 and the closing of energy prices, which rose after the war in Ukraine. He is an advocate of anti-globalization, calling on France to leave NATO and “violate” EU policies.
Although Macron defeated far -right Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, France’s parliamentary elections have traditionally been a difficult contest for far -right candidates. Competitors from other parties engage or sideline to increase their chances of defeating the most right-wing candidates in the second round of voting.
The right -wing national rally at Le Pen is hoping it will be better than five years ago, when it won eight seats. With at least 15 seats, the far right can form a parliamentary group and gain more power in the assembly.
Le Pen himself was re-elected candidate in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, where he voted on Sunday.
Outside the working-class polling station in Paris, voters spoke in favor of Macron’s party’s support for peaceful governance and avoidance of extremist views if they support his opponents in listening to more political views. .
“When you have a parliament that is not fully aligned with the government, it allows for more interesting talks and discussions,” said Dominic Debar, a retired scholar. “But on the other hand, coexistence (a split political situation) is always a sign of some failure.”
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Jeffrey Schaefer starred in Paris, Daniel Cole in Marseille and Alex Turnbull in Le Touquet, France.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.