France heading to the polls in high-stakes snap parliamentary election
30 June 2024, 12:33
Voters in France are going to the polls today for an election which could see the nation's first far-right government enter power since the Second World War.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
French President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise vote when his centrist alliance was beaten in the European elections by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally at the beginning of this month.
This first round of voting started at 8am - or 7am UK time - and ended at 4pm in smaller towns, and 6pm in bigger cities.
The winning candidate will be known by Sunday night.
France's semi-presidential system means that it has both a president and a prime minister.
The voting happening today will reveal who is prime minister, but not president, with Mr Macron already having decided to stay in his role until the end of 2027.
Read More: Rishi Sunak claims Labour would cause 'irreversible damage within first 100 days' in Downing Street
If Ms Le Pen's party win an absolute majority, France would end up with a government and president from different political camps the fourth time in post-war history.
Yet the outcome of the election remains highly uncertain.
Polls show that support for Le Pen's far-right, anti-immigrant National Rally (RN) has increased in recent days.
A poll undertaken for Les Echoes newspaper indicated that the RN was due to win 37 per cent of the national vote, which is an increase of two points from more than a week ago.
Another poll from BFM TV estimated that the far-right party might win between 260 and 295 seats, which could give it an outright majority within France's 577 constituencies.
Polls indicate that the New Popular Front (NFP), a leftwing alliance, might receive 28 per cent of the vote, whereas Macron's centrist bloc falls behind at 20 per cent.
After today's vote, campaigning will begin on Monday for an additional five days before voters are called back to the polls for a final, decisive second-round ballot on 7 July.
Following the first-round vote, Macron is planning to convene a government meeting to decide the further course of action, government sources told AFP.
