France votes in second round of parliamentary polls as far right eyes power

Opinion polls have forecast the far-right National Rally will win the most votes but likely fall short of a majority.

Voting has opened for France’s parliamentary run-off election, which will be decisive in determining its political future that can see the far right become the largest party in parliament for the first time.

Opinion polls are forecasting the far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies are likely to win most votes in Sunday’s election but likely fall short of an outright majority.

Voting began at 8am (06:00 GMT) and will close between 6pm and 8pm in big cities. About 30,000 police, including 5,000 in Paris, have been deployed across the country.

Centrist President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections three years in advance after his political alliance was trounced in June’s European Parliament elections, a gamble which many observers believe backfired.

After coming out on top in the June 30 first round of the polls, an RN win could crown Marine Le Pen’s protege and party leader Jordan Bardella, 28, as prime minister.

Many in France remain baffled over why Macron called an election he was under no obligation to hold that could end with the RN doubling its presence in parliament and his contingent of centrist MPs halving in number.

But the president, known for his penchant for theatrical gestures, appears intent on executing what he calls a “clarification” of French politics that he hopes will eventually leave three clear camps of the far right, centre and the hard left.

The New Popular Front (NFP), an alliance of left-wing parties led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, is projected to be in the second position, with Macron’s Ensemble (Together) alliance forecast to finish third.