France elections 2024 live: Macron 'practically wiped out' by National Rally, Marine Le Pen declares
Marine Le Pen shows her reaction on stage following preliminary results in the initial round. Photo credit: REUTERS
Marine Le Pen stated that her National Rally party had almost completely defeated Emmanuel Macron after early voting results indicated that RN had come out on top in the initial round of the French election.
RN defeated Mr Macron's centrist political party in the election, according to preliminary results, creating the possibility of a government in Paris that is against immigration and the European Union.
The political party led by the nationalist leader received 34.5% of the votes in the election, followed by the Left-wing New Popular Front which secured 28.5% of the votes. Mr. Macron's Together coalition came in third place with 22.5% of the votes, as reported by an exit poll conducted by Ifop.
Speaking after the initial poll results were announced, Ms. Le Pen stated that she aims to win a significant majority in the upcoming second round of voting next Sunday.
"According to her, the French have spoken through democracy and have placed the RN and its allies in the lead, essentially decimating the Macron group."
In the initial voting round, the parliamentary election had the highest level of participation in almost forty years. This was seen as a public evaluation of Mr. Macron's leadership.
However, because France uses a two-round system, we will have to wait until next Sunday's run-off vote to see the final results.
Subscribe for additional news.
Date: June 30th, 2024 Time: 9:59pm (Note: The blog section is not provided, please provide the content you would like to rewrite in free English)
The voting process for the French parliamentary elections involves two rounds. In the first round, candidates must receive over 50 percent of the vote to be elected. Marine Le Pen was successful in achieving this in her Henin-Beaumont seat. Those who do not meet this requirement will face a second round of voting next week.
In order to move on to the second round, a candidate must have the backing of over 12.5 percent of registered voters in their area. The candidate with the highest number of votes in the second round will be the one to secure the seat.
Normally, in the second round of elections, there are usually two candidates competing against each other. However, this time around, we are anticipating an unprecedented increase in three-way races, which will make it more challenging to forecast the outcome.
Yet, there are instances where the Left-wing New Popular Front and President Macron's centrist Renaissance party are planning to remove their candidates from seats where they have advanced to the second round but are unlikely to emerge victorious. Their goal is to unite the anti hard-Right vote and prevent the National Rally from winning.
Opinions differ among pollsters on whether the National Rally will achieve an absolute majority or not. Everything depends on the outcome of next Sunday.
Protests Erupt In Paris
Protesters have started to assemble in Paris's Place de la Republique after the release of the preliminary election results, which revealed that the hard-Right National Rally received the largest portion of votes.
Macron's Party To Step Down In 60 Districts
The current prime minister of France, Gabriel Attal, stated that his party will withdraw from 60 constituencies where their candidate came in third place in the second round of elections. This move is aimed at preventing the National Rally from winning.
The 35-year-old cautioned the French people that the far-right is close to gaining power and emphasized that no votes should be given to the National Rally party.
The Fate Of France: Analysis
The future of France is uncertain, with the outcome still unknown, according to Henry Samuel from The Telegraph, who is reporting from Paris.
The results of the first round of these snap elections are definitely a big blow to President Emmanuel Macron, as his party is now in third place. Calling for these elections after a defeat in the European elections seems to have been a wrong and vengeful decision.
The blog section also noted that Sunday night was a big win for the National Rally, as they received the highest percentage of votes at around 33-34%. This was a historic achievement for the party, surpassing the previous record set by Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National.
Nevertheless, the results of the second round of the lightning contest on July 7th may not guarantee a clear victory for the conservative party.
To start off, the NFP alliance, which includes those on the far left, socialists, environmentalists, and communists, has done well in the elections, coming in second place with around 30% of the votes.
Some experts predict that the National Rally party may win a significant majority of 289 seats. However, these forecasts should be taken with caution as they are based on uncertain factors.
In the past, French parliamentary elections usually have two finalists in the second round runoffs. However, this time, there could be up to 320 three-way runoffs, known as "triangular" runoffs, which is unprecedented in French election history.
Next up is a intricate dance of negotiation and strategic voting.
National Rally Supporters Celebrate In Henin-Beaumont
Investors are worried that the French Government, which is already carrying a large amount of debt, may be forced to borrow even more money due to pressure from the National Rally. This has traders preparing for potential chaos in the financial markets.
Jack Allen-Reynolds from Capital Economics stated that the outcome of the initial round is expected to lead to increased borrowing, posing a potential risk to market stability.
The speaker mentioned that both RN and NFP have made promises to increase taxes and spending, which could be expensive. This could make it harder to implement budget cuts, leading to an increase in France's government bond interest rates.
The bond market was not pleased with France's decision to call for an election, causing them to demand higher interest rates on the country's debt. This has resulted in France having to pay more in interest compared to Portugal, which is a departure from the norm where France is usually considered a safer investment.
Republicans Likely To Place Fourth, Won't Give Voting Advice
The Republicans, a center-Right party, is expected to come in fourth place and has not given guidance on voting to prevent the hard-Right National Rally from gaining power.
In a recent message, it was mentioned that we are standing up against the radical ideas of the far-left in France, who aim to tear down our systems, dismantle our culture, and pose a grave threat to our nation.
The National Rally is not the answer for France either, since its populist policies will only result in disorder and the decline of our nation.
Popular Front To Retract Candidates From Some 3-way Contests
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a prominent figure on the Left, declared that the Left-wing New Popular Front - a group made up of socialists, greens, and communists that is expected to come in second in the upcoming election - will pull their candidates from certain districts to prevent dividing the opposition to the far Right. Mélenchon emphasized the importance of not allowing any votes to go to Marine Le Pen's National Rally party.
Le Pen asked voters to give her party a clear majority, while Mélenchon argued that his Left-wing coalition could also win a majority.
See Le Pen Fans Reveling
Marine Le Pen won more than half of the votes in Hénin-Beaumont and was re-elected as MP in the first round. She celebrated her victory by claiming that the "Macronist bloc" has been essentially eliminated.
Ms Le Pen, who is aiming to become president of France in 2027, stated that this is just the beginning of a shift in power. Mr. Macron will continue to hold the position of president for the next three years, unless he decides to step down.
After Le Pen was elected again and her party was predicted to have received the majority of votes in the initial voting round, her followers were caught on camera cheering and displaying flags.
Could National Rally Win The Majority?
The National Rally party may have a strong chance of getting an overwhelming majority, as suggested by polling company Elabe. They estimate that the party could secure between 260 and 310 seats in parliament, based on initial voting data. To have a majority, they need at least 289 seats.
Nevertheless, alternative surveys indicate that this scenario is improbable. For instance, Ipsos predicts that RN and its supporters will win a maximum of 280 seats.
French analysts mentioned that it is still difficult to anticipate exactly how things will unfold in the upcoming runoff election on July 7th, as there may be an unprecedented amount of three-way races. These are races where three different parties are vying for victory in the second round of voting.
In order to advance to the second round, a political party must receive at least 12.5% of the registered vote. However, some candidates who are less popular may choose to withdraw in order to strengthen the support for their allies. This creates opportunities for intricate negotiations and deals between parties.
Melenchon: Macron Suffered A Heavy Election Loss
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the far-Left, stated that the New Popular Front, a coalition of Left-wing parties expected to come in second, had achieved a win over Emmanuel Macron's centrist party in the sudden election.
"The nation was unexpectedly confronted with the urgent need for dissolution. President Macron believed he was forcing public opinion back into the restrictive decision between himself and the National Rally, which no longer appealed to anyone," stated Mr. Melonchon.
"This vote resulted in a significant and undeniable loss for the President, his chosen candidates, and the majority party," he continued.
Le Pen's Reaction Captured
Marine Le Pen: Democracy Has Spoken
Marine Le Pen, who leads the far-right National Rally party, declared that "The voice of democracy has been heard" following the release of exit polls indicating that her party received the largest percentage of votes in the first round of elections on Sunday.
She stated: "The upcoming second round will be crucial in order to prevent the country from being taken over by the Nupes coalition, which is a far-Left group known for its violent tendencies."
Ms Le Pen stated that the upcoming round of voting will be crucial in securing Jordan Bardella a strong majority in the National Assembly. This will allow them to start the process of rebuilding France and bringing unity and harmony back to the nation.
Ms Le Pen was able to secure her re-election in the first round of voting by receiving over 50% of the votes in the Pas-de-Calais region.
Macron Urges Alliance Against Far-Right
French President Emmanuel Macron urged for a widespread democratic coalition to oppose the far-Right following reports that the National Rally party had emerged victorious in the initial round of parliamentary elections.
Given the challenge of the National Rally, it is now necessary to form a large, explicitly democratic and republican coalition for the next round," he stated. He also noted that the significant voter participation in the initial round indicated "the significance of this election for all fellow citizens and the need to bring clarity to the political landscape."
National Rally Expected To Win First Round
The initial results of the parliamentary elections show that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party is in the lead with approximately 34% of the votes, according to polling agencies IFOP, Ipsos, OpinionWay, and Elabe.
The NFP coalition, a group of left-leaning parties, came in second place with approximately 29% of the vote. President Macron's centrist bloc was in third place, receiving between 20.5-23% of the vote.
Following the initial poll results, Mr Macron urged voters to come together and prevent the extreme right from gaining power in the upcoming second round of legislative elections. He called for a united effort and emphasized the need for a diverse coalition to secure victory.
At Marine Le Pen's stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont, there were loud cheers and tricolour flags waving in celebration.
Hénin-Beaumont in the north of France is where Le Pen represents and also where the National Rally is hosting its election party tonight. Pictures of champagne glasses lined up were shown earlier at the location.
Vote With A Punch
A fight was said to have erupted at a voting center in Nice today during the tense election in France.
According to Le Monde, a person connected to Éric Ciotti, the leader of The Republicans party in France, attempted to prevent a polling station from opening on Sunday.
He allegedly hit the head honcho at the location before getting taken into custody by the cops.
The district attorney's office announced that they had launched an investigation into "assault on a public servant and verbal abuse towards law enforcement officers".
Mr. Ciotti stirred up a lot of disagreement earlier in the campaign when he partnered with the far-right National Rally party.
First Exit Polls Coming Soon
Soon, the final voting locations will be closing, and shortly after, French media will be able to share the initial exit poll results. While this data should be approached carefully, it is usually accurate. The official results will begin to come in around 8pm BST.
Record Voter Turnout In 32 Years
As the voting period comes to an end, Le Monde newspaper has announced the largest voter turnout since 1988. It is estimated that between 65.5% and 69.7% of eligible voters participated in the first round of voting.
Watching: Le Pen's Vote Count Starts
There are reports that many stores in France have protected their windows with boards to prepare for possible chaos after the results are revealed later today.
In addition to mainland France, citizens in French overseas territories have participated in voting. This includes territories near Canada and in the Caribbean, the South American territory of French Guiana, and territories located in the Pacific and Indian Ocean.
In this image, voters are shown waiting in line to cast their votes in New Caledonia, located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Last Call To Vote
France is reaching the end of voting in the first round of this important election. Smaller towns have already closed their polling stations, while larger cities will close theirs at 8pm local time (7pm BST).
French citizens are showing up to vote in higher numbers than ever before. As of 5pm, nearly 60 percent of eligible voters have already participated, marking a significant increase compared to the same time during the last election in 2022.
Some people think this is the largest turnout at this point since 1986.
France Goes To Vote
Welcome to our French election live blog! We will be providing updates on the latest developments as France prepares for the first round of its most important election in many years.
In summary, President Emmanuel Macron called for an election just three weeks ago following significant losses for his party in the European Parliament elections. This was due to a rise in support for the far-right National Rally.
Get up to speed on all the important information.
