“Slap in the face” for Macron –

PARIS (AP) — French parliamentary elections gave the far-right National Rally a strong but not decisive lead in the first round on Sunday, according to polling agency projections, dealing another slap in the face to centrist President Emmanuel Macron.

Projections indicated that Macron’s risky decision to call voters back to the polls for the second time in three weeks appeared to have backfired.

French polling agencies said Macron’s grouping of centrist parties would finish a distant third in the first-round vote.

Those projections put Macron’s camp behind Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and a new coalition of left-wing parties that have joined forces to prevent Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration party — which has historic ties to anti-Semitism — from forming France’s first far-right government since World War II.

But with another torrid week of campaigning ahead of the decisive final vote next Sunday, the final outcome of the election remains uncertain.

Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal urged voters to unite once morest the far right in the runoff.

“Not a single vote should go to the National Rally. France does not deserve that,” Attal said.

Addressing a jubilant crowd waving French flags, Marine Le Pen called on supporters and voters who did not back her party in the first round to push her to win and secure a commanding legislative majority.

If that happens, Marine Le Pen’s protégé, Jordan Bardella, 28, would become prime minister.

RN Winners

The RN and some conservative allies are said to have obtained between 33 and 34.5% of the votes.

New Popular Front

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) would win between 28.1 and 28.5%.

Macronist block

The Macronist bloc would be left with between 20.3 and 22.5%.

The Republicans

The conservative Republicans (LR) are reported to have achieved 10%.

The assembly

The RN and its allies would achieve an absolute majority in the Assembly.

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