PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron and his allies on Monday were striving to stop the far right from taking a majority and control of the government in a historic win after his gamble on early elections.
The far-right National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen secured a resounding victory in the first round of the polls Sunday, with Macron’s centrists ending in third position.
The key suspense ahead of the second round of the July 7 elections was whether the RN would win an absolute majority in the new National Assembly and form the government.
According to most projections by French polling organisations the RN falling short of an absolute majority.
A hung parliament could lead to months of political chaos and paralysis just as Paris is preparing to host the Olympic Games this summer.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who is likely to resign after the second round, warned that the far right has reached the gates of power. He added the RN must not get a single vote in the second round.
The RN grabbed 33 percent of the vote, as compared to 28 percent for the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, while Macron’s centrist camp got more than 20 percent for
However, the final composition of the 577-seat National Assembly will only be clear after the second round of the elections.
The French stock market had been under immense pressure in June amid the political uncertainty. Meanwhile Macron in a written statement has urged a wider coalition against the far right in the second round.
On late Sunday police said some 8,000 left-wing supporters gathered outside the Place de la Republique in central Paris to slam the prospect of the far right taking power. If the RN takes an absolute majority this would create a tense period within French politics.
The chaos in France could also damage the international credibility of Macron, regarded by some as the European Union’s top leader and set to participate in the NATO summit in Washington immediately after the second round.
