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According to initial exit polls out of France, the far-right National Rally (RN) party is leading in the first round of the country’s snap parliamentary elections. This outcome aligns with pre-election opinion polls.
Various pollsters (IFOP, Elabe, and Ipsos) project Marine Le Pen’s RN will secure around 34% of the vote. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition is trailing with approximately 29%, followed by Macron’s centrist Ensemble Alliance at about 20.4%. Elabe estimates RN and allies could win 260-310 seats in the second round, while Ipsos predicts 230-280 seats. An absolute majority requires 289 seats in the National Assembly.
Le Pen celebrated the results, declaring that the RN had effectively sidelined Macron’s camp. RN President Jordan Bardella emphasized the importance of the upcoming second round, describing it as “the most important in the history of the French Fifth Republic.” Bardella also criticized the far left, accusing them of creating an “existential crisis” and posing a “real danger to France.”
This development comes as President Macron has called for other political parties to create a democratic alliance against the far right. In a statement, Macron said, “Faced with National Rally, the time has come for a broad, clearly democratic and republican alliance for the second round.” Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the left-wing NFP, announced his party would withdraw candidates who placed third in the first round to thwart RN victories. Meanwhile, Laurent Berger, the European Trade Union Confederation chairman, urged a blockade against the RN to protect democratic values.
RN’s path to power now hinges on making deals among rivals in the coming days. Historically, center-right and center-left parties have collaborated to block the RN, a strategy known as the “republican front.” However, this dynamic appears more uncertain than ever.
