Second round of voting today, results, winners and last minutes

First results abroad give leftists a victory

Voting stations in the French overseas territories have already closed. The results point to a victory for the left against a zero score for Marine Le Pen’s party, the National Rally, which won no representatives, according to French media ‘Liberation’.

Pedestrians walk past a shop protected by wooden panels from potential riots//AFP

Pope laments the state of democracy and warns against “populism”

Pope Francis denounced the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a brief visit to Trieste in northeastern Italy. “Democracy is not in a good state in today’s world,” he said.

Without naming any country, the pope warned against “ideological temptations and populism” on the day France holds a second round of early parliamentary voting, with the far-right National Rally party (RN) seen winning the largest share of the vote.

Lavrov criticizes second round elections

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to the second round of the legislative elections in statements to journalist Pavel Zarubin published on his Telegram channel.

“It seems that the second round is designed to manipulate the will of the voters. It doesn’t seem very democratic because the expression of the popular will is the result of the plebiscite and this result is already known. There would be very serious changes in France if the results of the first round were used to form a parliament,” he warned.

The first count will be known at 8 p.m.

Voting ends at 6:00 pm in smaller towns and at 8:00 pm in bigger cities.

Pollsters will deliver a first estimate based on the first count from a sample of polling stations at 8:00 p.m.

Macron casts his vote // Reuters

Election mood in Paris // EFE

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron arrive at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France // AFP

‘Bonjour’ instability

Marine Le Pen’s party is not expected to win an absolute majority in the second round of legislative elections this Sunday. The siege will prevent a wave of the far right, although the tactical withdrawal of candidates from the left and center has been rejected by many voters. Le Pen’s party will remain the most voted party and its leader will be close to succeeding Emmanuel Macron. Forming a government in the coming weeks will be difficult. It is possible that the president will appoint a technocratic cabinet, with or without Le Pen’s approval.

José M. de Areilza comments on this in his column

30,000 police deployed to stop the riots

The atmosphere in the country is tense, with 30,000 police deployed to avoid problems and voters worried about a possible electoral earthquake that would change the French political landscape, reports AFP.

France is experiencing a historic change

This Sunday, 49,332,709 voters are called to the polls, in the second round of early legislative elections, calling for 577 deputies of the National Assembly to bring about an unprecedented change in French history that will have major implications for Europe.

The National Rally, Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, is listed as the leading national force, without achieving an absolute majority. Behind, the New Popular Front, which brings together all the left, from France Insoumise to the Socialist Party, including the Communists and the Greens, emerges in second place as a mere electoral alliance. It is not a government coalition.

Correspondent Juan Pedro Quinonero in Paris reports

Former French president, member of the Socialist Party (PS) and candidate for the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) alliance, Francois Hollande, votes at a polling station in Tulle // AFP.

French Prime Minister Attal votes in second round of parliamentary election // EFE

Second round of legislative elections in France

Good morning.

Today France elects its new National Assembly.

We will keep you informed about the election day news through this medium.