The second round of the elections for the lower house of the French parliament, the National Assembly, is held today.
Most polling stations will open at 08:00 local time (09:00 Bulgarian time) and close at 18:00 (19:00 Bulgarian time). This reminds
In some cities and departments, the schedule of polling stations may differ. In particular, in major cities, including Paris, the French will be able to vote until 20:00 (21:00 Bulgarian time).
It should be noted that the first election results are expected after 20:00 local time.
In the first round of elections on June 30, the French elected 76 out of a total of 577 deputies, 37 of whom are members of the National Assembly party or its allies.
A total of 289 seats are required for an absolute majority.
The main struggle is between the far-right party "National Assembly" of Jordan Bardel, the bloc of left-wing parties "New People's Front" and the pro-presidential coalition "Together".
According to the latest sociological surveys, "The National Assembly" and his allies will not be able to obtain an absolute majority in the French National Assembly. Thus, the study of the consulting center "Elabe" showed that the far-right party after the second round of elections for the lower house of the French parliament will be the first political force in the country, but will not achieve an absolute majority.
Based on the balance of power two days before the election, the "National Assembly" and his allies will manage to secure 200-230 seats in parliament, as opposed to the 89 they had before the dissolution of the chamber. The New People's Front, an alliance of leftist forces, can count on 165-190 seats. The pro-presidential coalition will receive 120-140 seats, which is a serious drop from 245 deputies before the dissolution of the National Assembly.
The center-right "Republicans" and the deputies from the "Other Right" will remain far behind with 35-50 mandates.
At the same time, the leader of the faction of the far-right "National Assembly" in the dissolved lower house of the French parliament, Marine Le Pen repeatedly said this week that her party still had a chance of winning an absolute majority. She noted that her political opponents are working together to prevent her from doing so.
According to the calculations of the French media, more than 200 centrist and left-wing candidates have withdrawn from the race, which according to the opponents of the "National Assembly" should discourage the far right. French Prime Minister Gabriel Atal has called on third-place candidates to stop fighting so that voters who support them can vote for the candidate who will oppose the "National Assembly".
The pre-election program of the "National Assembly" on foreign policy calls for continued support for Ukraine. However, party chairman Jordan Bardella said France should not supply long-range missiles and other weapons that "could lead to escalation" of the situation. Bardella pointed out that his party's strategy is to avoid "any form of escalation in the face of Russia, which is a nuclear power.
The coalition of the president "Together" promises in his election program that France will continue to support Kiev. It also does not rule out the possibility of sending military instructors to Ukrainian territory. The coalition intends to double France's national defense budget by 2030.
The Alliance of Left Parties stated that their goal was "for French diplomacy to serve the cause of peace". In its program, the coalition calls for the protection of "the sovereignty and freedom of the Ukrainian people, as well as the integrity of Ukrainian borders" by supplying the "necessary" weapons. As for the situation in the Middle East, the leftist parties want to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
"Republicans" oppose the enlargement of the European Union, in particular they are against the accession of Ukraine to the Community. At the same time, they believe that it is necessary to provide financial support to Ukraine "as long as it is necessary".
The early elections in France are being held after French President Macron's party "Renaissance" lost to the far-right "National Assembly" in the European Parliament elections on June 9. On the same day, the French leader announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, and called early parliamentary elections.