The First Round of Early Parliamentary Elections in France Has Begun

Voting for the first round of early parliamentary elections in France began on Sunday morning, July 1st. Polling stations opened at 8 AM local time (6 AM GMT) for voters. The voting will end at 6 PM GMT in major cities and at 4 PM in smaller towns. The second round of these elections will be held exactly one week later, and the final results will not be known until then. In this election, the far-right anti-immigrant party critical of the European Union is leading in the polls, followed by the left party and then the centrist party of Emmanuel Macron. A victory for the far-right party 'National Rally' is likely to change France's policies regarding the European Union and Ukraine. Less than a week ago, Jordan Bardella, the main figure of the far-right 'National Rally' party, introduced his party as ready to take power at a press conference. This 28-year-old politician, who has tried to help the party shed its extremist image, urged voters to support the party with maximum votes to implement its anti-immigration policies and 'law and order' agenda. Mr. Bardella also emphasized that his party opposes sending French troops to Ukraine, similar to Emmanuel Macron's plan, but will continue to provide logistical and material support. Among the main policies of the National Rally, which was known as the 'National Front' until 2018, are economic protectionism and a no-nonsense approach to law and order issues, as well as opposition to immigration. This parliamentary election period in France is a confrontation between the far-right 'National Rally' and the left-wing 'New People's Front'. The 'New People's Front' has so far refrained from stating who will be the prime ministerial candidate if they win the elections. Earlier this month, Bardella's party outperformed Macron's centrist coalition in the European Parliament elections by nearly double the votes, prompting the French president to dissolve the parliament in an unexpected decision. Following the defeat in the European elections, Macron also called for early elections on Sunday, July 1, 1403. Jordan Bardella was elected as the successor to Marine Le Pen and the new leader of the far-right National Rally in November 2022. Marine Le Pen, who is attempting to succeed as president, has asked Macron to resign from the presidency if her party loses in the parliamentary elections, a request that was met with a negative response from Macron.