France’s vote on the high-risk, second round of parliamentary elections has begun, with an increase in support for the left-wing coalition that threatens the hopes of newly re-elected President Emanuel Macron for an absolute majority. Voting started at 08:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday and will close at 20:00. Macron faces a challenge from NUPES, a new left-wing alliance led by former Socialist Jean-Luc Melanson. The renewed left is battling as uncontrolled inflation raises the cost of living and launches the French political landscape. In the first round of voting last Sunday, both sides were optimistic with about 26 percent. In the second round, the initial field of candidates in almost 577 constituencies was reduced to two contestants facing each other. Macron’s coalition hopes to win an absolute majority of 289 seats to carry out tough reforms. Opinion polls suggest Macron’s “Together” coalition of center-right and center-right parties will end up with the largest number of seats, but say there is no guarantee that it will reach the threshold for an absolute majority. The far right is also likely to be its biggest parliamentary success in decades. Al Jazeera-based Jonah Hull, who writes from Paris, said the center-right and left-wing coalitions have “radically different ideas about what to do in the face of France’s problems”. The centrists are aiming to reduce taxes, reform welfare benefits and raise the retirement age, while the left plans to tax the rich, raise the minimum wage and lower the retirement age. Failure to reach an absolute majority would require a degree of power-sharing between the parties – unheard of in France for decades – or lead to prolonged paralysis and repeated parliamentary elections. If Macron and his allies lose an absolute majority with just a few seats, they could chase center-right or Conservative MPs. 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 on a case-by-case basis with other parties. Hull said less than half of France’s electorate went to the polls in the first round, raising concerns about voter turnout. “Low turnout will tend not to favor the established,” he added. Turnout by noon was 18.99%, higher 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. Macron won a second term in April, defeating far-right opponent Marin Lepen by a comfortable margin. Following the presidential election, French voters traditionally use the polls that follow a few weeks later to give their newly elected leader a comfortable parliamentary majority.
