French parliamentary elections: Second round underway

On July 7, France held the second round of parliamentary elections, electing the remaining 501 members of the 577 seats. This is the decisive round of the early parliamentary elections.

About 49.5 million voters are registered to vote in the second round of the French National Assembly election. (Source: Reuters)

The French National Assembly (Lower House) election will decide between the three largest political blocs, including the National Rally (RN) party and its allies, the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and the outgoing center-left alliance of President Emmanuel Macron.

About 49.5 million voters are registered to vote in the second round. More than 1,000 candidates are competing for the remaining 501 seats out of 577 in the National Assembly, after 76 candidates were elected in the first round.

The first round of the election on June 30, announced by the French Interior Ministry , showed that the far-right National Rally (RN) party was leading with 37 seats. The NFP followed with 32 seats, while the center-left alliance of incumbent President Macron won only 2 seats.

According to a survey released by consulting firm Elabe on July 5, about 33% of French people polled said they wanted the RN to win the most seats in the House of Representatives in this election. Meanwhile, the rates for the NFP and President Macron's alliance were 24% and 18%, respectively.

Previously, President Macron's center-left coalition had cooperated with the left-wing coalition to prevent the far-right from gaining an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Accordingly, more than 200 left-wing and centrist candidates withdrew from the race in the second round of elections, in order to prevent the victory of RN.

Any party hoping to form a government will need an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat parliament. The latest projections suggest the RN will win the most seats in parliament, but not an absolute majority.

Mr Macron has previously said he will continue his second term until the end of 2027, regardless of which party wins this legislative election.

Previously, due to concerns about possible violence after the announcement of election results, the French Interior Ministry said it would deploy 30,000 police and gendarmes at polling stations, including 5,000 staff in the capital and the suburbs of Paris.

Polling stations open at 8:00 a.m. local time on July 7 and close at 6:00 p.m. in major cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Polling stations in major cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille will close later, at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bau-cu-quoc-hoi-phap-tien-hanh-vong-hai-277815.html