The French vote massively this Sunday in the second round of a decisive legislative elections for their future, in which the extreme right could become the first match of the season for the first time National Assembly.
According to the criteria of
The participation rate at noon was 26.63%, making it the highest recorded in more than four decades, according to figures released by the Ministry of the Interior.
The nearly 50 million voters face a dilemma: Should you vote for the extreme National Rally (RN) party or for the “republican front” woven by the ruling party and the left?
We are at a turning point in history
“We are at a turning point in the country’s history,” said Antoine Schrameck, a 72-year-old pensioner, as he voted in Rosheim, on the outskirts of Strasbourg.
Centre-right President Emmanuel Macron shocked France by bringing forward the election, due in 2027, following the victory of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen’s party in the European elections on 9 June.
Although the aim was to ask the French for a political “clarification” and, at the same time, to curb the far right, the result of the first round put RN in the lead with a third of the votes and projections even pointed to an eventual absolute majority.
But, after the first round, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) and President Macron’s centre-right alliance Juntos forged more than 200 implicit local pacts, the so-called “republican front”, withdrawing the candidate with the fewest votes to prevent a landslide victory for Le Pen and her allies.
What do the polls say?
The latest projections from two polling institutes show the far-right bloc is far from winning a majority of 289 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly (lower house), with between 170 and 210, followed by the NFP (155 to 185) and the ruling alliance (95 to 125).
Polling stations open in France
Polling stations opened in France on Sunday (around 1 a.m. Bogotá time) for the second round of crucial legislative elections, in which the far right appears to be the favorite and could come close to an absolute majority.
How is participation at this time?
Turnout in the second round of the French legislative elections on Sunday reached 26.63% at 12:00 (10:00 GMT), the highest since 1981, the Interior Ministry announced. In the first round last Sunday, turnout had reached 25.90% at the same time. In the 2017 elections, turnout in the second round was 18.99%.
When will the results be known?
The first estimates will be known from 8 pm (1 pm, Bogotá time), when the polling stations close.after a campaign marked by insults and attacks on candidates and supporters, and by racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
*With Efe and AFP
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