How France’s election works and how it compares to the UK

France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies topped the poll with 33 per cent of the national vote in the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday.

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance came in second with 28 per cent while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Together coalition suffered heavy losses, gaining just 20 per cent.

The result marks the first time the RN has won more than 20 per cent of the vote in a parliamentary election and puts the party within reach of forming the country’s first ever far-right government.

Mr Macron’s gamble in sending the French electorate to the ballot box three years early appears to have backfired, but the election is far from over, with a second round of voting due to determine the 577 members of the National Assembly due to take place on Sunday 7 July.

How do French elections work?

In the first round of voting, which took place over the weekend, any candidate who receives an absolute majority of more than 50 per cent of valid votes is elected.

But this rarely happens, so when no candidate reaches this threshold, a second election is held between the top two candidates plus any other politician who received a vote total greater than 12.5 per cent of registered voters.

This means the second round is a series of run-offs fought by two, three or sometimes four candidates. While it is usually rare to have three or more candidates getting through the second round, early indications suggest that due to high voter turnout, around 250 districts may have three or more candidates eligible to run.

The candidate who receives the most votes in this second round is then elected to the Assembly.

The period between the first and second round is always a time of negotiating between parties and political groupings. In the past, the traditional centre and left-wing parties have struck agreements to stand down candidates from the run-offs to avoid splitting the vote against RN.

Although RN received the most votes on Sunday, it is anticipated that Mr Macron’s centrist Ensemble and the NFP alliance may create some form of unofficial coalition, encouraging a tactical voting strategy known as the “republican front” to block the RN and defeat the far right – or at the very least, prevent them from reaching an absolute majority of 289 seats.

Leaders from the left and Mr Macron’s centrist bloc have previously said they would withdraw their candidates in constituencies where another candidate was better placed to beat the far right.

Jean Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left wing coalition Popular Front (Front Populaire), speaks in front of thousands of supporters in Paris, France on Sunday. (Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

The leader of the NFP bloc, former left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said the leftist alliance would withdraw all its candidates who came third in the first round. He said: “Our guideline is simple and clear: not a single more vote for the National Rally.”

Mr Macron has also called on voters to rally behind candidates who are “clearly republican and democratic”.

But whether the centre ground accepts an alliance with the far left remains unclear. Some centrists said they would stand aside to support moderate left-wing candidates from the NFP, while others further to the right are sceptical about supporting left-wing candidates, such as those from Mr Mélenchon’s France Unbowed party, a far-left party in the NFP bloc.

This centrist split was exemplified by France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, who ruled out calling on voters to choose a far-left candidate from the France Unbowed party – even if that was the only option to stop a candidate from the far-right RN.

Meanwhile, the centre-right Republicans (LR) received around 9 per cent of the vote – and an endorsement from them could legitimise the far right and give them a much-needed boost that could push them over the 289 threshold to gain that parliamentary majority.

It remains unclear if they would stand aside for the far right, but LR executive vice president François-Xavier Bellamy announced last month that he would “of course” vote for a far-right candidate in the second round of snap legislative elections on 7 July if their opponent was from the left.

What does this mean for Macron’s Presidency?

Even if the far right wins a majority, Mr Macron will remain French President. The presidential elections are separate from the National Assembly and are not due until in 2027.

Mr Macron is not eligible to run in these elections as he will have already had two consecutive terms in office. RN’s former leader Marine Le Pen is expected to run as the far-right candidate.

While Mr Macron will stay in power for now, this election could force the President to cut deals with the far right to pass legislation through parliament and be forced to share power with a government formed by his opponents – known in France as “cohabitation”.

Marine Le Pen, member of parliament and French far-right National Rally (RN) party, arrives at the RN party headquarters in Paris on Monday (Photo Reuters/Benoit Tessier)

Mr Macron’s alliance has just 250 seats in the outgoing Assembly and had been struggling to pass legislation after his failure to secure an absolute majority in the National Assembly in June 2022.

This created a legislative backlog, and he had to force through pension reforms without a vote using the controversial Article 49.3, while tougher immigration rules required RN support.

Mr Macron’s Renew alliance then came third in the European elections, losing to the RN on 9 June.

This prompted the President to call an election and build a new coalition of centre and left-wing political groupings, saying: “France needs a clear majority if it is to act in serenity and harmony.”

Mr Macron did not have to call an election for the National Assembly, but claimed this was the “most responsible solution”, hoping he can gain the support of the left to keep out the far right, and make French people decide between the far right or the centre propped up by the left.

If the far right secures a majority, Ms Le Pen’s protégé, Jordan Bardella, is likely to become prime minister, putting the far right in a strong position where it could control the passage of domestic legislation, and setting up Ms Le Pen to have a crack at the presidential election in 2027.

President Macron would have less sway in the legislative process, instead focusing on foreign policy.

Jordan Bardella, president of the RN party, on Monday (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

How does this compare with the UK?

France is a semi-presidential republic, meaning it has a President elected by the public who serves as head of state with significant executive powers, especially in foreign policy and defence.

Second in command is the prime minister, who technically is appointed by the president, but if there is a parliamentary majority, they will come from the party with the most seats and will form a government of deputies from that party.

The UK operates as a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy, meaning the prime minister, as head of government, is typically the “first among equals” – meaning he lands his position because he is leader of the majority party in the House of Commons.

The monarch is the head of state, like the French president, but the key difference is that King Charles does not wield any executive power, unlike Mr Macron.

The amount of power a French president has depends on whether he has a majority in the Assembly, rather like in the US system, which relies on Congress or the legislature to pass legislation. Without the support of parliament, the president struggles to pass any laws.

The electoral systems of the UK and France also differ where there are two separate elections to decide how executive power is distributed in France, while in the UK there is one election to decide who has all the power to make decisions, with the party who wins a majority setting the legislative agenda, without any interference from a president.

In the UK, general elections operate on a “First Past the Post” (FPTP) system, with the country divided into 650 constituencies. The candidate or MP with the most votes in each constituency wins, even if they do not achieve an absolute majority. This system often leads to a clear winner, but can result in disproportional representation of parties in Parliament.

France’s electoral systems differ notably, with the presidential and National Assembly elections using a two-round system.

Unlike in the UK, where the prime minister can call elections, in France this is decided by the president.

French media reports that in the event of a far-right majority in parliament, Mr Macron would be able to call another election next year, in an attempt to win back parliament before the presidential election scheduled for 2027.

Much like the British political environment since 2022, French politics could be set for a tumultuous few years.