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Early predictions predicted that despite historically low turnout in French parliamentary elections, France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s party and its allies would barely close the majority after the first vote. ..
Predictions based on the results of the partial elections show that Macron has won about 25-26% of the votes at the national level and is strangled with a new coalition of candidates for the remnants.
Still, Macron’s candidates are expected to win in more districts than their left-wing rivals, giving the president a majority.
In the first round of the election, about 6,000 candidates won 577 seats in the French parliament on Sunday. The two-round system is complex and not proportional to national support for the party. In the French race, where there was no definitive winner on Sunday, up to four candidates with at least 12.5% of support will participate in the second round of voting on June 19.
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Kitchen table issues dominated the campaign, but voters’ enthusiasm has been curtailed. On Sunday, less than half of France’s 48.7 million voters cast ballots.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who wanted to become prime minister in the election, was one of the few voters when he voted in the southern port city of Marseille.
Following Macron’s reelection in May, his Nakamichi coalition sought an absolute majority to be able to carry out campaign promises such as tax cuts and raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 65.
But Sunday’s forecast showed that Macron’s party and allies could struggle to win more than half of the parliamentary seats. The majority (non-absolute) governments can still govern, but they need to seek support from opposition lawmakers.
Opinion polls estimated that Macron’s centrists could get more than 300 seats out of 255, and that the left-wing coalition of Melenchon could get more than 200 seats. When it comes to voting on the bill, the Diet has the final say on the Senate.
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Melenchon’s platform includes a significant increase in the minimum wage, a reduction to the retirement age of 60, and a fixed energy price that is skyrocketing due to the war in Ukraine. He is an anti-globalization fire brand that has demanded that France withdraw from NATO and “do not obey” EU regulations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.