According to the first exit polls, the first place in the preferences of voters in the early parliamentary elections in France was taken by the far-right National Coalition of Marine Le Pen with 33-34%, with the left-wing alliance of the United Popular Front following with 29-30%, while the presidential coalition «Together» of Emmanuel Macron came third with 22-23%.
The percentage (10%) that the Republican Party, whose leader came under heavy fire when he proposed an alliance with Le Pen's party during the election campaign, is not negligible - especially if we consider its possible alliances in the second round next Sunday.
Already started for the crucial second round on 7 July
As reported by the French Le Monde, between 65 and 85 MPs are elected in the first round, while we expect between 285 and 315 «triangular» contests in the second round, according to Ipsos estimates.
This initial estimate by Ipsos Talan for France Télévisions, Radio France, France 24/RFI and LCP also predicts 150 to 170 duels. Le Pen's RN will qualify in 390 to 430 constituencies, the left-wing NFP in 370 to 410 and Macron's Ensemble (Together) in 290 to 330.
The first statements - Le Pen's speech
«Democracy has spoken,» hailed Marine Le Pen from Hénin-Beaumont, where she announced that she had been re-elected as an MP in the first round.
For the three-time presidential candidate, the lead of the National Coalition shows that voters «with a clear vote, [showed] their desire to turn the page after seven years of Emmanuel Macron's contemptuous and corrosive government».
«Nothing has been won and the second round will be decisive to prevent the country from falling into the hands of the NFP coalition, a far-left coalition with violent tendencies,» Le Pen warned, as the leftist New Popular Front coalition came second nationally.
For Marine Le Pen, the second round will be «decisive to give Jordaan [Bardela] an absolute majority in the National Assembly, so that next week the recovery of France and the restoration of unity and national harmony can begin».
«We need an absolute majority for Emmanuel Macron to appoint Jordan Bardela as prime minister in eight days,» he added.
The re-elected Le Pen also tried to reassure a section of the electorate hostile to the National Coalition by announcing measures aimed in particular at people with dual nationality. «No Frenchman, and I mean no Frenchman, will lose any rights. On the contrary, rights will be safeguarded and, as soon as the situation allows, new ones will be created for the benefit of all,» he assured.
The Left calls on Macron's candidates to withdraw
On the left, the coalition parties that make up the United Popular Front, which won second place, are calling on all the third-place candidates - especially those from Macron's party - to withdraw ahead of the final showdown with the National Coalition in the second round on July 7.
The United People's Front intends to do the same, as Jean-Luc Mélenchon said, withdrawing from the race those of his own candidates who came third in the first round.
Raphaël Glucksmann's party, Place publique, is calling on all third-place parties to withdraw in the event of a three-way tie in the second round of parliamentary elections, in a statement released on Sunday night. «History is watching and judging us,» adds Place publique, which also calls for a »clear vote« against RN candidates.
Marine Todelier, the national secretary of the Ecologists, is calling for the «creation of a new democratic front» in the second round of the parliamentary elections, directly challenging Emmanuel Macron's camp.
«It would be incomprehensible if some people continued to fail to distinguish between the left and the far right,» he stressed, calling on «centrist politicians to withdraw if they are third and if they do not qualify for the second round - a call to vote for a candidate who defends democratic values.».
Macron: Democratic rally against Le Pen
The big loser of the first round of the French parliamentary elections, Emmanuel Macron, is calling for a «broad, clearly democratic rally» against the RN of Le Pen-Bardela in order to avoid a rapprochement with the extreme right.
In a statement sent to the media, the head of state said the high turnout shows the French people's desire to «clarify the political situation».
«Their democratic choice obliges us», he said.
«In the face of National Coalition, it is time for a broad, purely democratic rally for the second round,» he noted, referring to the issue of possible withdrawals for the second round in case of a possible victory of the far-right RN candidates. Candidates who qualify for the second round have until 6 p.m. Tuesday to validate their registration in the prefectures.
