Moment of reckoning for Macron as 2nd round of French Parliamentary elections kicks off
France's President Emmanuel Macron outside polling booth
It’s been only two months since French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected, but he is already facing another tight election as a newly formed leftwing alliance takes on the centrist leader.
On Sunday, thousands of people came out to vote for the second and final round of parliamentary elections. Macron is seeking a majority in order to push through promised tax cuts, welfare reform and raise the retirement age. According to AFP, the voter turnout was at 18.99 per cent till the afternoon.
Polling firms indicated that Macron’s coalition would eventually turn out to be the biggest party in the next National Assembly, but it might not be able to secure the 289 seats needed for a majority.
The Far-left is being led by 70-year-old Jean-Luc Mélenchon who went toe-to-toe with the 44-year-old French president only a week ago, reports AFP news agency.
They call themselves NUPES, which stands for New Ecological and Social Popular Union.
In the first round of voting last week, Macron was left disappointed after NUPES finished neck-and-neck on around 26 per cent.
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"The vote is extremely open, and it would be improper to say that things are settled one way or the other," Melenchon told reporters on Friday during a final campaign stop in Paris.
The centrist Macron alliance, Ensemble, portrays them as a "marriage of convenience" of Communists, Socialists, far-left Mélenchonists and Greens.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who lost out to Macron in the presidential elections, is also eyeing major gains for her National Rally party, which had just eight seats in the outgoing parliament.
Sunday's voting is almost entirely made up of run-off duels between two candidates, and almost half involve the two big alliances.
Several ministers in the Macron government are battling to keep their seats and hold on to their jobs, and two of the toughest fights involve Europe Minister Clément Beaune and Green Transition Minister Amélie de Montchalin.
(With inputs from agencies)
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