Left-wing and centrist parties in France are scrambling to block the rival National Rally from winning the ongoing parliamentary election, according to analysts, after support for the far-right faction surged in the first electoral round on Sunday.
Figures posted on Monday morning by the French Interior Ministry showed that the far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies had secured a combined 33.1% of votes, while the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance won 28% and French President Emmanual Macron's centrist Together bloc garnered 20%.
The outcome of the first round of the election has led to discussions from left-wing and centrist politicians about how to minimize the amount of parliamentary seats secured by the RN in the second round of voting on July 7.
"Our objective is clear: to prevent the National Rally from having an absolute majority in the second round, from dominating the National Assembly and from governing the country with the disastrous project that it has," French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a Macron ally, wrote on social media platform X late on Sunday according to a CNBC translation.
"I say it with the force that the moment demands to each of our voters: not a single vote must go to the National Rally," he added.
Persons:
Danielle Simonnet, NUPES, LFI, Celine Verzeletti, Jean Luc Melenchon, Emmanual, Gabriel Attal
Organizations:
La France, National Rally, French Interior Ministry, Front, National Assembly, CNBC, National
Locations:
Paris, France