It is voting day in France, the first round for the composition of the next National Assembly, dissolved by President Macron after the result of the European elections which rewarded the right of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) and the prime minister candidate, Jordan Bardella.
The second round of voting will take place next Sunday, July 7.
Polls will be open until 8:00 p.m. (in some cities they will close at 6:00 p.m.). Only at that time will the first exit polls and projections be released.
The first turnout data at 5pm show that 59.4% of voters went to the polls. A record figure
The first exit polls of Belgian origin give the right of Rn at 33%, the Popular Front (left) at 30% and Macron’s party at 20%. The French ones instead give the right at 34.5%, the Popular Front at 28.5% and Macron’s Ensemble at 20%.
With these data, the first projections of the seats in the Assembly give a relative but not absolute majority to Rassemblement National, with the seats in a range varying between 260 and 310, the left would have between 115 and 145, the party of Macron between 90 and 120, and the Republicans close between 30 and 50 seats.
“Once again, after the European elections, we have a verdict without appeal,” said RN candidate Jordan Bardella, “which clearly confirmed the desire for change. Our candidates are in the lead and have the possibility of entering the second round with a very large majority. This was an unprecedented result. Now I ask the French to remain mobilized until next Sunday, on a day that could go down in the history of the Republic. We are at a crossroads: the French must choose between us and the far left whose result is worrying.”
Harsher, especially towards Emmanuelle Macron, Marine Le Pen: «Today begins the end of Macron», said the historical leader of the right,
The heavy defeat of the president’s party was underlined in the first statements of the leader of the left-wing National Front, Melanchon: “The choice in the second round is between us and the right, there are no other proposals. The big loser today is certainly President Macron and from this evening there will certainly have to be a new prime minister in France”.
Finally came the comment of the French President himself, the big loser: “We need a republican grouping against the right…”
