The poll was published on Wednesday by the weekly magazine “Challenges”. 220 seats are “far from the majority of 289 deputies that would allow Jordan Bardella (head of the National Rally) to take over as prime minister,” the weekly stressed.
The New Popular Front (NFP) is in second place in the poll – alliance of left-wing parties. It could get between 159 and 183 seats. The centrist parties around President Emmanuel Macron could count on 110-135 seats in the National Assembly (the lower house of parliament).
France. 224 candidates withdrew from the second round of elections
The data was announced after the NFP and centrist parties agreed on a strategy for creating a “republican front” against the far right. It consists of withdrawal before the second round some of the candidates, so as to leave room for those who have the best chance of defeating a RN politician in a given constituency.
As he rates “Challenges”, this strategy “seems to be bearing fruit” and may eliminate the prospect of the RN gaining an absolute majority in the second round of elections on 7 July.
Ministry of the Interior France reported that before the second round 224 candidates were withdrawn. After the first round, which took place on June 30, in as many as 306 electoral districts, not two, but three candidates qualified for the second round. This was due to high turnout. For comparison, in the 2022 elections, when turnout was lower, there were only eight such situations.
Crucial vote on the Seine. Almost 500 seats to be filled
Fearing the dominance of the RN, left-wing and centre parties began to withdraw those of their candidates who had won in the first round. They came third in the constituencies. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a result, the number of duels between the three candidates in the second round will fall from 306 to 89.
In most districts – 409 – the second round will ultimately be a clash of just two candidates, reports the daily “Le Monde”. There are 577 electoral districts in France – as many as there are seats in the National Assembly (the lower house of parliament). After the first round, more than 70 candidates have already secured their seatsbecause they received over 50 percent of the votes in this round.
Let us recall that the vote on June 30 was won by Marine Le Pen's party, obtaining over 30 percent of support.
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