Exit polls: far-right wins parliamentary elections in France

The first round of parliamentary elections has ended in France. According to exit polls, first place in the elections is occupied by the far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.

The exit poll by the Ipsos Talon institute predicts that Le Pen’s followers will win more than 34% of the vote. In second place is the alliance of left and far-left forces “New Popular Front” with 28%, in third place are supporters of President Emmanuel Macron “Together” with 20% of the vote.

Commenting on the election results, Macron called for blocking the path of the far right in the second round of elections, which will take place on July 7. According to him, a broad alliance of democratic and republican forces is needed to achieve this goal.

Marine Le Pen said the French people put the National Rally first and Macron’s camp failed. She called for maximum support for the movement in the second round in order to gain an absolute majority in parliament and achieve the appointment of Bardell as prime minister.

There are 577 deputies in the National Assembly. It is expected that after two rounds, the National Union will receive 230-280 mandates, the New Popular Front will have 125-165 seats, and Together will be represented by 70-100 deputies.

Macron decided to hold early elections after Le Pen’s supporters won the European Parliament elections. The head of state also made a significant turn to the right to attract National Rally voters to his side. However, it did not help.

For decades, the National Front and its successor, the National Rally, were pariahs of the French political system. Regardless of the number of mandates received, other parties formed a coalition without their participation, even preferring the communists.

It should be noted that the National Rally grew out of the National Front created by Jean Marie Le Pen, which initially held anti-Semitic positions. However, after October 7, it has been the most consistent in its support of Israel.