French voters headed back to the polls on Sunday for the second and final round of voting in the French parliamentary elections, with high stakes for Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron and the possibility of political gridlock looming.
The nationalist, anti-immigrant National Rally is poised to do well in the elections, raising concerns about the potential for months of political deadlock ahead. The outcome of the elections will determine the composition of the 577-seat National Assembly, France’s lower and more prominent house of Parliament.
In the first round held a week ago, 76 legislative seats were won outright, while the rest of the races went to runoffs, which are being held on Sunday. The runoff will feature the top two vote-getters in most cases, but some districts may have three or even four candidates competing.
High voter participation led to more than 300 three-way runoffs after the first round, prompting left-wing parties and Macron’s centrist coalition to pull more than 200 candidates out of three-way races to prevent the National Rally from winning an absolute majority.
Polls will close at 6 p.m. local time, with initial results expected to be published by the Interior Ministry at 8 p.m. If the National Rally and its allies win a majority in the National Assembly, Macron may have to appoint a prime minister from the far-right party, potentially disrupting his defense and foreign policies.
If no clear majority emerges, Macron will have limited options in terms of how to proceed, potentially leading to months of political deadlock or turmoil. Analysts are discussing the possibility of a caretaker government to handle the day-to-day business of running the country until a political breakthrough is reached.
The outcome of the elections will have significant implications for the future of France’s domestic and foreign policies, as well as the stability of the government. Stay tuned for more updates as the results come in.
