PARIS — French voters appeared to have boosted the prospects of the far right while potentially shattering the centrist alliance of President Emmanuel Macron, in projections released after polls closed in the first round of French legislative elections on Sunday.
Projections by France’s public broadcaster showed the far-right National Rally, guided by Marine Le Pen and her protégé, Jordan Bardella, securing the top spot with 34 percent of the national vote. An alliance of leftist parties, the New Popular Front, was in second, projected to garner 28 percent. Macron’s Together alliance lagged behind, with 20 percent.
The projections showed National Rally narrowly falling short of a majority of seats in parliament. If it can expand its lead and win a majority in the second round of voting on July 7, it could put forward 28-year-old Bardella as the country’s first far-right prime minister since World War II and replace Macron’s pro-Europe, pro-business agenda with its populist, euroskeptic and anti-immigration platform.
Macron could stay on as president until his term expires in 2027 — and he has said he will not resign. But he wouldn’t be able to do much to prevent the adoption of nationalist laws.
Alternatively, if the second round doesn’t result in a clear majority, it could paralyze French politics and make it impossible for the lower house of parliament to agree on a new government.
