Macron set for parliamentary majority
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron's party is on course for an overwhelming parliamentary majority after Sunday's first round of voting for the National Assembly left traditional parties in disarray.
Projections showed Mr Macron widening his centrist revolution, with his Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move) party and its ally MoDem tipped to win between 400 and 445 seats in the 577-member assembly in next Sunday's second round.
Such a share would give Mr Macron one of the biggest parliamentary majorities for 60 years.
But the vote was marked by a record low turnout of 49 per cent, possibly reflecting the fatalism among Mr Macron's opponents in the face of his seemingly unstoppable advance, experts said.
The right-wing Republicans - who had hoped to rebound from their humiliation in the presidential vote - were shown trailing in second with a predicted 70-130 seats, while Ms Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front (FN) was forecast to garner between one and 10 seats.
The FN's result showed that the party is struggling to rebound from Ms Le Pen's bruising defeat by Mr Macron in the presidential run-off.
The worst losses, however, were for the Socialists of Mr Macron's predecessor, Mr Francois Hollande, and their allies, who are predicted to lose a staggering 200 seats. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now