PARIS – France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party led the first round of the country’s legislative elections, provisional results published Monday by the French Interior Ministry revealed.
According to the ministry, without counting its allies’ votes, the RN alone gained 9,377,109 votes or 29.25 percent of the ballots.
Thirty-seven RN candidates scored more than 50 percent of the vote and were elected as deputies.
The RN, together with its allies, got 33.14 percent of the vote, French news channel BFMTV said.
Following the RN, the New Popular Front (NFP), the left-wing parties’ electoral alliance, won 8,974,463 votes, or 28.5 percent of the ballots, with 32 alliance members elected.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition finished in third place, with 6,425,525 votes.
A record turnout of 66.71 percent was observed during the first round of the elections.
The second round of the elections, set for July 7, will decide how many deputies each political camp will have in the National Assembly.