Voter Turnout High In French Parliamentary Runoff

Reuters reports:

Voter turnout in France’s parliamentary run-off election on Sunday rose sharply from the last time in 2022 in a ballot that could see the far-right National Rally (RN) emerge as the strongest force.

Although the RN is expected to win the most seats in the National Assembly, the latest opinion polls indicated it may fall short of an absolute majority. A hung parliament would severely dent President Emmanuel Macron’s authority and herald a prolonged period of instability and policy deadlock in the euro zone’s second-biggest economy.

Should the nationalist, eurosceptic RN secure a majority, it would usher in France’s first far-right government since World War Two and send shockwaves through the European Union at a time populist parties are strengthening support across the continent.

Read the full article. Since last Sunday’s first round of voting, hundreds of candidates from the left and center have dropped out in order to avoid splitting the anti-National Rally vote. We’ll have an open thread for the results at the end of today.

France voter turnout high, with far right seeking power https://t.co/smg60Ye6zg

— Jonathan Chevreau (@JonChevreau) July 7, 2024