French far right eyes power after victory in first round of election

Result suggests Macron's gamble on a snap election has backfired badly

- Jonathan Eyal

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the people of France to form "a broad alliance of democratic forces" and vote for any candidate able to keep the far-right and anti-immigrant National Rally from winning power in a second and decisive round of parliamentary elections scheduled for July 7.

The National Rally - or RN as it is known by its French-language acronym - made sweeping gains in the country's first round of parliamentary elections on June 30.

It attracted 33.5 per cent of the votes, its highest score ever.

The New Popular Front, a recently formed alliance of far-left movements, received 28 per cent of the ballots cast, while President Macron's Ensemble (Together) centrist coalition is trailing badly with just 20 per cent of the vote.

More than 70 candidates won outright in the first round, leaving over 500 seats still to be decided.

Mr Macron is appealing to his country's moderate forces to defeat the RN in the second electoral round.

However, it is already clear that the French President has suffered a stinging personal defeat, and that France is facing years of political instability.

Mr Jordan Bardella, the RN's candidate for the post of prime minister, was undoubtedly correct in calling the elections "one of the most decisive" since the current French constitution and political system were adopted back in the 1950s.

France last elected its Parliament in 2022, and despite the fact that President Macron did not enjoy an overall majority, his Ensemble coalition controlled a workable 250 seats in the 577-strong legislature, and no fresh national vote was needed until 2027.

Still, the President decided to use his constitutional powers to call snap elections after his party was heavily defeated by the RN in elections for the European Parliament in early June.