Far right cheers lead and seeks majority

France’s far right has taken the lead in the first round of parliamentary elections, confirming their dominance of French politics and pushing them towards power.

Supporters of Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally (RN) cheered as she said the president’s “Macronist bloc has been almost wiped out”.

RN is expected to win 33.2% of the vote, with the Left Alliance trailing on 28.1% and Macron’s coalition trailing on 21%.

“If the French vote for us, my goal is to become prime minister for all French people,” said RN party leader Jordan Bardella, 28.

The far right has never before won the first round of French parliamentary elections. Veteran commentator Alain Duhamel says the simple fact that this is possible is historic.

Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardera want an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly.

Predictions for seats in next Sunday’s runoff suggest they may fall short.

Without an absolute majority, France would have a hung parliament and the Nationalist party would be unable to push forward its plans for immigration, tax cuts and law and order.

Emmanuel Macron did not have to call the election, but after RN’s victory in the European elections he said it was “the most responsible solution”.

It’s a gamble that now threatens to upend the political order.

The first-round turnout for Congress was the highest since 1997, reflecting the critical nature of the vote after just three weeks of lightning-fast campaigning.

After the first round of elections, 39 members of the National Assembly were elected with a majority, while 32 members of the left-wing New Popular Front were elected.

Hundreds of left-wing voters gathered in Paris’ Place de la République to express their anger and shock at the RN’s success.

President Macron left the conversation to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, but he did issue a statement saying it was time for “a second round of broad, clear democratic and republican alliances.”

While other leaders addressed cheering supporters, Mr Attal gave a brief but solemn speech outside his official residence at the Hotel Matignon.

“There shall not be a single vote in the national assembly,” he declared. “The stakes are clear – to prevent the national assembly from gaining an absolute majority.”

“One thing is certain,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the gruff leader of France’s Indomitable Party (LFI), “Mr. Attal will no longer be prime minister.”

He was the most radical of the left-wing parties that formed the New Popular Front, which fell just a few points short of finishing in national rallies.

However, he agreed with the Prime Minister that registered nurses should not have another vote.

The National Rally has come a long way from originating on the far-right fringe of French society to gaining the support of one-third of French voters.

They have a charismatic young leader who could become France’s next prime minister and has instituted a range of policies, from banning mobile phones in classrooms to slashing energy taxes to scrapping benefits for foreigners.

“People are unhappy when there’s unsafe conditions on the streets,” said a voter named Patrick in one of the potential new Republican strongholds east of Paris.

“Victory is at hand,” said Conservative Leader Eric Ciotti, who split the Republican Party and forged an alliance with the National Rally that he called “unprecedented and historic.”

Commentator Pierre Huskey said France had entered uncharted territory and could only bring bad results. “That’s why a lot of people are angry with President Macron,” he told the BBC.

RN has a chance of gaining an outright majority, although the more likely outcome at the moment may be a hung parliament, in which RN holds the most seats. The New Popular Front may also increase its vote share, driven by voters from other parties.

Next Sunday’s decider will include a duel or a three-way match between two sides. The last election had a handful of turnouts, but high turnout meant more than 300 third-place candidates qualified for these “triangle” races.

What will now be decided mainly at the local constituency level is whether a third candidate will withdraw from the race to prevent RN from winning the seat.

Prime Minister Attal said that of “hundreds” of constituencies, his party’s candidates had the best chance of stopping the National Party.

He said it was a moral duty to prevent the far right from “ruling the country with its disastrous plans.”

But many third-place centrist candidates are expected to step down if socialist, green or communist rivals have a better chance of beating the Republicans.

Overall, they are likely to refuse to give way to Mélenchon’s party, although one Macron candidate, who finished third, said she was withdrawing to allow LFI rival Francois Ruffin Have a better chance of winning.

“I draw a clear line between political opponents and enemies of the republic,” Albany Branland said.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon said that if his party’s candidate came in third and RN was ahead, they would also withdraw.

In the words of Mr Macron’s Socialist predecessor, former boss François Hollande: “We have an obligation to ensure that the far right cannot win a majority in parliament.”