Paris, June 30 2024 — The first round of parliamentary elections in France is taking place today, with voting commencing at 8:00 AM local time and concluding at 4:00 PM. This marks the beginning of the electoral process to fill the 577 seats in the National Assembly of Parliament. The second round of voting is scheduled for July 7. Approximately 49 million voters are eligible to participate in this election cycle.

The candidates concluded their three-week campaign on Friday at midnight, just ahead of today's voting. Various polls have indicated that the far-right politician Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's National Rally (RN) party are leading. The RN recently achieved significant success in the European Parliament elections and is projected to secure 35 to 37 percent of the vote in this parliamentary election.

In contrast, the centrist coalition led by France's ruling President Emmanuel Macron faces potential significant losses. Polls suggest that Macron's alliance could garner only 20 to 21 percent of the vote, potentially losing more than half of its seats in the National Assembly.

If the polls are accurate, political analysts foresee the possibility of a hung parliament in France, which could lead to a complex and challenging political landscape in the coming weeks.