Macron ‘practically wiped out’, Marine Le Pen declares

Marine Le Pen reacts on stage after partial results in the first round - REUTERS

Marine Le Pen declared her party had “practically wiped out” Emmanuel Macron after winning the first round of voting in the French election.

Ms Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) trounced Mr Macron’s ruling centrist alliance, exit polls showed on Sunday, raising the prospect of an anti-immigration, anti-Brussels government in Paris.

Mr Macron’s gamble to call a snap vote after a bruising defeat to Ms Le Pen’s party in the European election appears to have spectacularly backfired.

The nationalist leader’s party was seen as winning around 34 per cent of the vote, while the Left-wing New Popular Front came second with around 29 per cent and Mr Macron’s Together coalition third with 20.5-23 per cent, according to various polls.

This morning France’s Interior Ministry released its percentages for the first round of voting. It said the RN and its allies reached 33 per cent of the national popular vote, while the leftwing New Popular Front came in second with 28 per cent.

President Macron’s centrist bloc had 20 per cent, the ministry said.

Mr Macron cast his vote in Le Touquet, northern France - Yara Nardi

Speaking after the results were declared, Ms Le Pen said she was seeking an “absolute majority” in the second round of voting next Sunday.

“Democracy has spoken and the French have put the RN and its allies at the top, practically wiping out the Macron camp,” Ms Le Pen told supporters after the polls closed.

“We need an absolute majority so that [RN leader] Jordan Bardella can be appointed prime minister in a week’s time.”

The first round of the voting saw the biggest turnout for a parliamentary vote in nearly four decades, in what was considered a referendum on Mr Macron’s leadership. But with France having a two-round system, the final results will not become clear until next Sunday’s run-off vote.

Le Pen supporters cheered Henin-Beaumont, northern France - AP

Sunday night’s result left the French president and the country’s Left-wing bloc plotting strategies to stand down candidates in the hope of beating National Rally in the second round of voting.

Mr Macron called for the creation of a “broad alliance” to block a hard-Right victory. “Faced with the National Rally, it is time for a large, clearly democratic and republican rally for the second round,” he said.

His prime minister Gabriel Attal said: “Not a single vote must go to the National Rally.”

“The far Right is at the gates of power,” he warned, saying his party would desist in 60 constituencies to support “republican” candidates against the RN.

Edouard Philippe, the former prime minister, urged prospective MPs who finished third to withdraw to prevent candidates from the hard-Right and hard-Left from securing victories.

“I therefore consider that no vote should be cast on the candidates of the National Rally or those of rebellious France, with whom we diverge, not only on programs, but on fundamental values,” he said in a televised statement.

Projections put National Rally potentially winning between 230 and 280 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, with an outside chance of an absolute majority.

The Left-wing alliance was on course to win between 115-145 seats and the Macron camp between 115-145 seats. The Right-wing Republicans could win 30-50 seats.

The President and his wife Brigitte mingled with supporters in Le Touquet - Yara Nardi

If the hard-Right party can achieve an absolute 289-seat majority, it would force Mr Macron into an awkward power-sharing arrangement known as “cohabitation”, when two opposing parties govern together.

Ms Le Pen was re-elected MP in Hénin-Beaumont in the first round after winning more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Sunday’s results have been described as “a political earthquake” putting France on the brink of hard-Right leadership for the first time since the Vichy regime collaborated with Nazi Germany.

The results sparked protests in Paris on Sunday night - Nathan Laine

Ms Le Pen has spent the last decade trying to “detoxify” National Rally by shedding its hard-Right and anti-Semitic roots to become a genuine electoral force.

A National Rally victory, with its candidate Jordan Bardella, 28, becoming prime minister would create untold headaches for Mr Macron.

Mr Bardella has promised to challenge his authority on defence and foreign affairs if he wins power.

He also called for voters to “remain mobilised in a final effort” to send his party to power. He branded the second round as “one of the most decisive votes in the history of the Fifth Republic” of France.

The prospect of a National Rally government has spooked France’s fragile financial markets. Traders are braced for turmoil as investors fear that the already heavily indebted French Government risks being pushed to borrow more by the hard-Right party.

07:15 AM BST

Thank you for following our live coverage on France’s election.

We’ll be back soon with more updates and analysis.

06:49 AM BST

Interior Ministry releases its vote share estimates

France’s Interior Ministry has released its percentages. It says the National Rally (RN) party and its allies reached 33 per cent of the national popular vote in the first round of parliamentary elections, while the leftwing New Popular Front came in second with 28 per cent.

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc had 20 per cent, the ministry said.

05:28 AM BST

Let the games begin

Emmanuel Macron and his allies will this morning begin intense campaigning ahead of the second round of legislative elections.

This week will involve a complex game of horse-trading and tactical voting, writes Henry Samuel, while the president works to prevent the far-Right in an historic first from taking an absolute majority and control of government.

If the National Rally secures an absolute majority, Mr Macron will be left as a lame duck.

Read our explainer to find out more on the election process and the possible outcomes.

03:39 AM BST

Euro strengthens

A quick update on the markets. The euro has started climbing off the back of the news that it is unlikely Marine Le Pen’s party could govern on its own.

Before the vote, the risk premium on French bonds versus their German peers had blown out to the widest since 2012, while French stocks had slumped to their lowest in five months. We’ll know more about the results’ impact on bonds and stock outlook when trading reopens in Paris in the early morning.

Rodrigo Catril, a strategist at National Australia Bank in Sydney, told Bloomberg that concerns on fiscal largess eased this morning when it became clear that “a scenario where NR could rule on its own now looks less likely”.

“We now need to wait and see how the second round shapes up and if other parties can cobble together a united opposition to RN,” Mr Catril said.

Traders are likely in for another tumultuous week.

03:19 AM BST

In pictures

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Paris to demonstrate against the rising Right-wing movement. Tensions rose as some protesters were seen lighting fires and setting off flares.

Paris demonstrations

Fire during Paris demonstrations

Paris demonstrations

11:48 PM BST

The results

These are the first-round results, according to an Ipsos exit poll:

Official results are not yet available but should be coming in over the next few hours.

11:26 PM BST

Gloomy mood in Place de La Republique

The mood was gloomy at Place de La Republique in Paris tonight, where a few thousand anti-National Rally protesters gathered after the exit poll results.

Najiya Khaldi, a 33-year-old teacher, said she felt “disgust, sadness and fear” at the RN’s strong results.

“I am not used to demonstrating,” she said. “I think I came to reassure myself, to not feel alone.”

10:41 PM BST

Party at National Rally HQ

A party is taking place at the National Rally headquarters as it celebrates the outcome of the first round of voting in the parliamentary election, in which it is projected to have taken the biggest share of the vote.

Hundreds of supporters leapt to their feet chanting “Marine! Marine! Marine!” as the results came in.

Now, the champagne is flowing, the cheers are echoing and the Marseillaise is playing as the celebrations go on into the night.

Marine Le Pen speaks to journalists after the exit poll results - REUTERS/Yves Herman

09:59 PM BST

What happens next?

Parliamentary elections in France are a two-round process. Candidates who receive more than 50 per cent of the vote in the first round are automatically elected - Marine Le Pen achieved this today in her Henin-Beaumont seat, for example. All others go to a second round vote, taking place this time next week.

Any candidate who secured the support of more than 12.5 per cent of registered voters in their constituency in the first round now progresses to the second. Whoever gets the most votes in the second round wins the seat.

Typically, the second round is a run-off between two candidates - but this time, we’re expecting to see a record number of three-way contests, making the results particularly difficult to predict.

However, in some cases, we already know that the Left-wing New Popular Front and President Macron’s centrist Renaissance party intend to withdraw their candidates for seats where they’ve made it to the second round but don’t expect to win. The aim is to consolidate the anti hard-Right vote and block the National Rally.

Pollsters are split on whether an absolute majority is in reach for the National Rally or not. It all hangs on what happens next Sunday.

09:33 PM BST

Demonstrations break out in Paris

Demonstrators have begun gathering in Paris’s Place de La Republique following the announcement of the exit polls, which showed the biggest share of the vote going to the hard-Right National Rally.

Demonstrators gather around the Monument a la Republique - Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

Demonstrators shout slogans in Place de la Republique - Arnaud FINISTRE / AFP

09:18 PM BST

Macron’s party will step down in 60 constituencies for second-round vote

Mr Macron’s current prime minister Gabriel Attal said his party would step down in 60 constituencies where its candidate reached the second round in third place, in a bid to block the National Rally.

The 35-year-old warned the French that “the extreme Right is at the gates of power” and that “not one vote must go to the National Rally.”

Gabriel Attal, French Prime Minister, delivers a speech after exit poll results were announced - REUTERS/Yara Nardi

09:01 PM BST

Analysis: France’s future hangs in the balance

France’s future hangs in the balance but which way it falls remains tantalisingly unclear, writes The Telegraph’s Henry Samuel, reporting from Paris.

There is no doubt that the outcome of round one of these snap elections is a huge slap in the face to President Emmanuel Macron, whose party is languishing in third place. His bet to call them after being trounced in European elections now appears a misguided act of vengeful pique.

Sunday night was also undoubtedly a major victory for the National Rally, which clearly came first in terms of the number of votes, on around 33-34 per cent - an all-time record for the successor to Jean-Marie Le Pen’s Front National.

However, the outcome of round two on July 7th of this lightning contest is far from an electoral slam dunk for the hard-Right.

Firstly, the Left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance - a mix of hard-Leftists, socialists, greens and communists - has fared strongly, coming second with an estimated near-30 per cent of the vote.

And while some pollsters forecast that an absolute majority of 289 seats could be within the National Rally’s grasp, such predictions appear hazardous at best, for one simple reason.

Historically most second-round runoffs in French parliamentary elections are between two finalists. But for the first time in French parliamentary election history, there could be as many as 320 “triangular” three-way run-offs in round two.

What will now follow is a complex game of horse-trading and tactical voting.

08:25 PM BST

Pictured: National Rally supporters celebrate in Henin-Beaumont stronghold

Supporters of the National Rally celebrate after the first exit poll results, at an event in Le Pen's constituency of Henin-Beaumont - FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

08:16 PM BST

Bond markets spooked

Traders are braced for turmoil in financial markets as investors fear that the already heavily-indebted French Government risks being pushed to borrow more by the National Rally.

Jack Allen-Reynolds at Capital Economics said the first-round result likely means more borrowing, which threatens to spook markets.

“Both RN [National Rally] and NFP [New Popular Front] have made potentially very costly tax and spending pledges,” he said. “The likelihood of it becoming even more difficult to pass budget cuts, meaning that the public debt ratio increases further, will be reflected in France’s government bond[s].”

The bond investors that France relies on to finance its borrowing have reacted badly since the decision to call the election, leaving the country paying a higher rate of interest on its debt than Portugal, in a reversal of the usual position in which France is typically seen as the safer bet.

08:08 PM BST

The Republicans - likely taking fourth place - does not issue voting advice

The centre-Right The Republicans - which is projected to have come in fourth place - has not issued voting advice to keep the hard-Right National Rally out of government.

It said in a statement: “We are fighting the excesses of an extreme Left dominated by rebellious France, which wants to demolish our institutions, deconstruct our civilisation, and which represents an absolute danger to our country.

“The National Rally is also not the solution for France, because its demagogic programme will lead to the chaos and impoverishment of our country.”

07:59 PM BST

New Popular Front will withdraw candidates from some three-way contests

Leftist figurehead Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced that the Left-wing New Popular Front - an alliance of socialists, greens and communists that is predicted to have taken second place in Sunday’s vote - will withdraw its candidates in constituencies where there is a three-way contest in the second round if it is not in a position to win that constituency, to avoid splitting the anti-far Right vote. “Not a single vote” must go to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, he said.

As Le Pen called on voters to deliver an absolute majority for her party, Mélenchon claimed his Left-wing alliance could also achieve a majority.

07:46 PM BST

Watch: Le Pen supporters celebrate

Marine Le Pen, who was re-elected MP in Hénin-Beaumont in the first round after winning more than 50 per cent of the vote, hailed her victory by saying that “the Macronist bloc” is “practically wiped out”.

Ms Le Pen, who hopes to become French president in 2027, said this was “only the first step” in changing power as Mr Macron remains president for the next three years unless he resigns.

With Le Pen re-elected and her party predicted to have taken the biggest share of the vote in the first round of voting, her supporters were filmed cheering and waving flags.

07:42 PM BST

Could National Rally take a majority?

An absolute majority could be within the National Rally’s grasp, according to estimates from pollster Elabe, which predicts that the party could win 260-310 seats in parliament based on exit polls from the first round of voting. It needs 289 for a majority.

However, other polls suggest this is unlikely - for example, Ipsos is projecting a maximum of 280 seats for RN and its allies.

French commentators said it remains hard to predict precisely how everything will play out in the run-off vote on July 7th as there could be a record number of three-way contests - seats where three parties are competing in the second round.

Any party that clinches at least 12.5 per cent of the registered vote reaches the second round. However, weaker candidates sometimes step aside to solidify support for allies, now opening the door to complex horse-trading.

07:34 PM BST

Melenchon: “This vote inflicted a heavy and indisputable defeat on the president”

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the far-Left leader, claimed the New Popular Front, the Left-wing coalition that is predicted to have come in second place, had scored a victory against Emmanuel Macron’s centrists in the snap election.

“The country was suddenly faced with the challenge of a hasty dissolution. President Macron thought he was locking public opinion back into the suffocating choice that no one wants any more: him or the National Rally,” Mr Melonchon said.

“This vote inflicted a heavy and indisputable defeat on the President, his candidates and the presidential majority,” he added.

Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers his speech after the exit poll results - REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

07:25 PM BST

Pictured: Le Pen reacts

Marine Le Pen on stage after partial results in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections - REUTERS

07:25 PM BST

Marine Le Pen: “Democracy has spoken”

Marine Le Pen, leader of the hard-Right National Rally, said “Democracy has spoken” after exit polls suggested her party took the biggest share in Sunday’s first-round vote.

She added: “Nothing is won and the second round will be decisive, to avoid the country falling into the hands of the Nupes coalition, a far-Left with violent tendencies.”

Ms Le Pen said the second round of voting would be “decisive in giving Jordan [Bardella] an absolute majority in the National Assembly, to launch next week the recovery of France and the restoration of unity and national harmony”.

Ms Le Pen was re-elected in the first round of voting, securing at least 50 per cent of the vote in her seat in the Pas-de-Calais region.

Jordan Bardella reacts on stage after partial results in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections - REUTERS

07:17 PM BST

Macron calls for ‘broad’ alliance against far-Right following exit polls

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a “broad” democratic alliance against the far-Right after exit polls suggested that the National Rally party had won the first round of parliamentary elections.

“Faced with National Rally, the time has come for a broad, clearly democratic and republican alliance for the second round,” he said. He also said that the high voter turnout in the first round spoke of “the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation.”

Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte leave the voting booths prior to casting their vote - AFP

07:12 PM BST

First round victory predicted for National Rally

Marine Le Pen’s hard-Right National Rally (RN) party was seen leading the first round of parliamentary elections with around 34 per cent of votes, pollsters IFOP, Ipsos, OpinionWay and Elabe said on Sunday.

The Left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition was seen coming in second with around 29 per cent, ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc in third spot with between 20.5-23 per cent.

After the exit poll, Mr Macron urged voters to block the hard Right in the decisive second-round legislative elections, which take place next week, calling for a “broad alliance”.

Meanwhile, cheers erupted and tricolour flags waved at Marine Le Pen’s fiefdom of Hénin-Beaumont.

Hénin-Beaumont in northern France is Le Pen’s constituency and is also where the National Rally is holding its results party tonight. Rows of champagne flutes were earlier pictured ready at the venue.

07:10 PM BST

Punch up at polling station

A punch-up reportedly broke out at a polling station in Nice this morning as France voted in a tense election.

Le Monde, France’s newspaper of record, reported that an electoral assessor allied to Éric Ciotti, the conservative leader of The Republicans political party, had tried to block the station from opening on Sunday morning.

He was reported to have punched the top official at the venue before being arrested by police officers.

The prosecutor’s office said it had opened a probe into “violence on a person in charge of a public service mission and insults to police officers”.

Mr Ciotti became highly controversial earlier in the campaign after forming an alliance with the hard-Right National rally.

07:00 PM BST

First exit polls due any minute now

The last polling stations will close in just a couple of minutes time, after which French media will be free to publish the results of the first exit polls. This will be early data that must be treated with caution, but the results are often reliable. Official results will start trickling in from about 8pm BST

06:50 PM BST

Highest turnout since 1988

With voting now drawing to a close, Le Monde newspaper has declared the highest turnout since 1988, with between 65.5 per cent and 69.7 per cent of the electorate estimated to have taken part in the first round of voting.

06:38 PM BST

Watch: Vote count begins in Le Pen’s constituency

06:37 PM BST

Shops boarded up

Some shops across France have reportedly boarded up their windows in anticipation of potential disorder following the announcement of results tonight

06:14 PM BST

Overseas territories vote

As well as mainland France, residents of French overseas territories have been voting. That includes territories off the coast of Canada and in the Caribbean, the South American territory of French Guiana, and territories in the Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Here, voters are pictured queuing to vote in New Caledonia in the south-west Pacific Ocean.

People queue outside a polling station in New Caledonia - THEO ROUBY/AFP

05:55 PM BST

Final hour of voting

France is entering the final hour of voting in the first round of this critical election. Polling stations in smaller towns are already closed while those in bigger cities are set to close at 8pm local time (7pm BST).

Marine Le Pen casts her ballot in the first round of parliamentary elections - AFP

05:31 PM BST

Record turnout

The French are turning out to vote in record numbers. By 5pm local time, 59.39 per cent of voters had already cast their ballot - that’s 20 percentage points higher than at the same time in 2022.

It’s believed to be the highest turnout at this stage since 1986.

05:25 PM BST

France heads to the polls

Hello and welcome to our French election live blog, where we’ll be following the latest news as France heads to the polls in the first round of the country’s most significant election in decades.

To recap, the election was called by President Emmanuel Macron just three weeks ago after his party suffered big losses at the European Parliament elections, amid a surge in support for the hard-Right National Rally.

Catch up on everything you need to know.

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