Far Right Wins First Round of French Parliamentary Elections – WSJ

PARIS Marine Le Pen s National Rally notched a victory in the first round of parliamentary elections across France on Sunday, according to projections that showed her far-right party moving one step closer to its goal of winning control of the National Assembly and taking the reins of government.

A projection by polling firm Elabe said National Rally and its allies won 33% of first-round votes while the New Popular Front, a coalition of leftist parties, garnered 29% of ballots. President Emmanuel Macron s pro-business party and its allies were heading for a third-place finish with 22% of the vote, Elabe said.

National Rally is on track to score an unprecedented haul of parliamentary seats when voters return to the ballot box for the July 7 runoff, marking a watershed moment in the history of France s modern Fifth Republic. If National Rally wins a majority in the National Assembly, Macron would face the possibility of sharing power with the first far-right government since Vichy France. Macron s presidential term ends in 2027, and he said he won t resign.

Macron placed a massive bet when he called the snap elections, expecting to edge out leftist parties in the first round and force their voters to rally around his party for the runoff as they had in previous national elections. The election, Macron said, would provide France with a moment of clarification after her forces trounced his in European elections at the start of June.

via www.wsj.com