Newly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron snatched a narrow lead and the chance of a majority in the National Assembly in the first round of parliamentary elections, according to expectations.
Expectations indicated this evening, Sunday, that the president’s camp, which belongs to the center, won between 25.2 and 25.6 percent, which is almost the same as the left-wing alliance, which obtained 25.2 percent to 26.1 percent.
However, expectations indicate a clear majority for the Liberal president in the distribution of seats following the second round of elections.
Initial projections show Macron’s camp might win 255-310 out of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, meaning it is unclear whether it will win enough seats for an absolute majority of at least 289.
This result constitutes a success for the new leftist coalition of leftists, communists, greens and socialists led by leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
However, forecasts give this newly formed camp only regarding 150 to 210 seats.
The differences between the percentage of votes and the distribution of seats are due to the complex electoral system in France, where votes are counted only for the winner in one electoral district.
For Macron, the parliamentary elections are regarding whether he will be able to implement his plans during his second term. For this, he needs a majority in Parliament.
