Preliminary results encouraged Republican wing supporters and the Socialist party.
Voters in France go to the polls on Sunday in the run-up to the by-elections on Sunday after the first round in which President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party was frustrated, frustrated on the right hand side of Marine Le Pen and a handful of candidates.
Voting began at 8am (06:00 GMT), with the final voting remaining 12 hours later.
For some observers, the outcome of the first round of June 20 raised doubts as to whether the 2022 presidential election could be contested between Macron and Le Pen in what was seen as a long-running move.
Preliminary results strongly strengthened the Republican wing and the Socialist Party, which was suppressed when Centron Macron came to power in 2017 with their new party Republic on the Move (LREM).
Analysts warn not to go further than the rest of the world from regional elections, which elect leaders of 13 French regions from Brittany in the northwest to the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) region in the southeast.
But there were concerns among the parties over last week’s vote, which was rejected by 66.72% of voters – a record in modern France.
This difficult exit sparked controversy over how best to participate, with a number of figures including government spokesman Gabriel Attal suggesting that electronic voting could help in the future.
According to a poll published Thursday, only 36% of voters cast their ballots on Sunday.
The right eye is passing through
Preliminary results put Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) at the forefront of only one constituency, PACA, a major disappointment after voting on what happened in several constituencies.
One of the most watched competitions on Sunday is whether RN representative Thierry Mariani can beat his right-back Renaud Muselier in the region.
Preliminary results led to a simplified reading of Macron and its LREM, confirming the party’s failure to establish local roots even though the constituencies are running for president and a smaller parliament.
Although he sent several ministers to campaign and Macron also embarked on a nationwide tour – which saw him slapped once – in some places LREM did not get the 10% required to make two trips.
The LREM is unlikely to win a single seat and is currently the fifth largest political party in France.
Socialists are expected to take over other territories, perhaps with the help of France’s left-wing party.
