The extreme right in France, led by the young Jordan Bardell, is in the lead in the first round of snap parliamentary elections and could come to power.
According to the first estimates of the public opinion polling institute, the far-right National Gathering party and its allies won between 34.2 and 34.5 percent of the vote.
The left-wing New People’s Front coalition follows with 28.5 to 29 percent of the vote, and the third is the centrist camp of President Emmanuel Macron with 20.5 to 21.5 percent of the vote.
The right-wing Republican party, which was not allied with the extreme right, won 10 percent of the vote.
The first estimates about the new convocation of the parliament with 577 seats should be taken with great caution. The National Gathering could win a relative or even an absolute majority after the second round of elections scheduled for July 7.
After the sudden dissolution of parliament on June 9 due to the poor result of Macron’s bloc and the rise of the extreme right in the European Parliament elections, the political landscape in France will be deeply shaken.
Everything will depend on the second round of voting and the invitation of the parties that did not enter the second round for whom their voters should vote on July 7.
If Bardella (28) were to become prime minister, it would be the first such situation in France since World War II that the extreme right would take power.
However, Bardella has previously warned that he will not accept the post of prime minister if his party does not have an absolute majority.
It would also be an unprecedented cohabitation between Emmanuel Macron, a pro-European president, and a government much more hostile to the European Union, AFP reports.
Another possible scenario is that of a blocked parliament, with no possible alliance between the highly polarized camps to form a government.
Voter turnout today was around 65 percent, according to initial estimates, Beta writes.
