Initial forecasts were expected at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) from elections that could change the face of French politics. Attendance by noon was slightly stronger – at 18.99% – than at the same time in the first round of voting last Sunday and compared to 2017, when it reached just 18.43% and 17.75% respectively. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Macron won a second term in the presidential election in April. If Sunday’s vote does not give his camp an absolute majority, it will open a period of uncertainty that could be resolved with a degree of power-sharing between parties unprecedented in France in decades – or lead to political paralysis and a run-off in parliamentary elections. the line. read more Polls predict Macron’s camp will end up with the largest number of seats, but say there is no guarantee that it will reach the 289 threshold for an absolute majority. Polls also suggest the far right is likely to have its biggest parliamentary success in decades, while a broad left-green alliance could become the main opposition and the Conservatives could be found as kings. In the city of Sevres just outside Paris, where light rain gave some relief after the heatwave hit France on Saturday, some voters said they were motivated by environmental concerns to vote for the left-wing Nupes alliance. “For the past five years, the presidential majority has not been able to meet the challenges of climate change – the current heat wave makes you want to support environmental projects even more,” Leonard Doco, a 21-year-old film student, told Reuters. . Others say they do not trust the leader of the left-wing bloc, the nuclear Jean-Luc Melanson, who has fought under the slogan “Elect Prime Minister” and who promises to reduce the retirement age from 60 to 62, freeze prices and prohibit companies from laying off employees if they pay dividends. “Melanson is a hypocrite. He makes promises that do not come true. Retirement at 60 is impossible,” said Brigitte Desrez, 83, a retired dance teacher who voted in favor of Macron’s party. A voter votes in the second round of the French parliamentary elections in a polling station in Vire-Normandie, France, 19 June 2022. REUTERS / Stephane Mahe read more Overnight, the results of France’s overseas departments brought bad news for Macron, with his minister of maritime affairs losing in his Caribbean constituency. About 15 government ministers are running in the election, and Macron has said he will have to resign if he loses.
RENEWED LEFT
Macron seeks to raise the retirement age and continue his pro-business agenda and further integration into the European Union. Following the presidential election, French voters have traditionally used the legislative polls that followed a few weeks later to give him a comfortable parliamentary majority – with François Mitterrand in 1988 as a rare exception. Macron and his allies could still achieve this. But the renewed left poses a difficult challenge, as inflation raises cost-of-living concerns at the forefront of many voters. If Macron and his allies lose an absolute majority with just a few seats, they may be tempted to pursue center-right or Conservative lawmakers, party officials have said. If they lose by a wide margin, they could either seek an alliance with the Conservatives or run a minority government that will have to negotiate laws with other parties on a case-by-case basis. Even if Macron’s camp wins an overwhelming majority, it is likely to be thanks to its former prime minister, Edouard Philippe, who will demand more reason for what the government is doing. Whatever Sunday’s vote is, the president is likely to enter a new period in which he must reach more compromises, after five years of unquestionable control since his first election in 2017. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional References by Michel Rose Written by Ingrid Melander Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky and Frances Kerry Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
