France's second round elections take place amid record turnout
Photo: Parliamentary elections in France (wikimedia.org)
The second round of parliamentary elections in France is taking place amid a record interim turnout. As of 1 pm (Kyiv time), 26.63% of voters have cast their ballots, reports Le Figaro.
The interim turnout has already exceeded the first round, which took place a week earlier, by 0.73%. And it is 7.64% higher than in the second round in 2022.
Today's turnout is particularly high in the districts of Bush-du-Rhône - 34.59%, Correze - 33.88% and Cantal - 33.48%. The lowest turnout is in the districts of Saint-Denis - 12.77%, Val-de-Marne - 17.07% and Hauts-de-Seine - 18.72%.
Key facts on elections in France
The second round of parliamentary elections is taking place today. Many experts predict that the far-right National Rally (RN) party may win for the first time.
The elections are held in two rounds under the majority system. Therefore, as a rule, the results of pre-election polls may not coincide with the final results.
After the first round, the formal leader of the RN, Marine Le Pen, said that her party would be able to get an absolute majority. The latest polls show that the far-right is unlikely to reach 289 seats.
The centrists of current President Emmanuel Macron and the left made more than 200 agreements to bypass the nationalists.
Exit polls will be released after 8 pm.
The first round ended with the following result:
- National Rally (RN) and its allies: 33.14% (255-295 potential seats)
- New Popular Front (NFP): 27.99% (120 to 140 potential seats)
- President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble alliance (ENS) - 20.04% (90 to 125 potential seats)
- Republicans/UDI/Left - 10.74% (35 to 45 potential seats)
Earlier, Macron called for "broad unity" against the far right in the second round of elections.
After the agreements between the left and the centrists, representatives of Le Pen's political force lost ground.
