Politics French election: 26.63 percent cast their vote by midday
In the decisive round of the parliamentary elections in France, a good one in four eligible voters had cast their vote by midday. At 12.00 noon, voter turnout was 26.63 percent, according to the Ministry of the Interior in Paris. In the first round of voting a week ago, the overall turnout was 66.71 percent and by midday it was already at 25.9 percent.
07.07.2024, 12:39
SDA
In the last regular parliamentary election in 2022, the turnout at midday was 18.99%, which shows the strong interest in the early election by French standards. The last polling stations close at 8 p.m. in the evening. Projections on the outcome of the election are also expected then.
The central question is whether Marine Le Pen's right-wing nationalists will win an absolute majority. This would be a turning point in the country's history and would also have major implications for European politics.
A number of leading politicians have already cast their votes this morning, including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, his predecessor Élisabeth Borne and former President François Hollande.
Election round decides the composition of the National Assembly
In the first round of voting last weekend, Le Pen's right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) was the strongest force, ahead of the new left-wing alliance and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp in third place.
However, the composition of the National Assembly will only be decided in the second round of voting: MPs are elected according to the first-past-the-post system - and a run-off vote is now necessary in most constituencies.
According to polls, the RN could miss out on an absolute majority, but could become the strongest force for the first time, which in itself is an unprecedented shift to the right in France. In numerous constituencies, third-placed candidates have withdrawn to increase the chance that the remaining candidate from a bourgeois party will beat the candidate of the right-wing nationalists.
Following the victory of Le Pen's Rassemblement National in the European elections at the beginning of June, Macron dissolved the National Assembly and announced a new election. Macron's presidency is not at stake in the election.
