‘National Rally’ to Fall Short of Majority in French Elections, Poll Shows
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - France's far-right National Rally (RN) party looked set to fall short of an absolute majority in parliamentary elections, recent polls showed on the last day of campaigning on Friday, though politicians and pollsters urged caution.
An OpinionWay poll for business daily Les Echos saw the RN winning 205-230 seats in Sunday's vote, ahead of the leftwing New Popular Front with 145-175 seats, and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc with 130-162 seats. The findings were largely in line with other surveys released on Thursday, Reuters reported.
For a ruling majority, 289 seats are needed in the National Assembly.
European lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann, one of the political leaders of the leftist New Popular Front (NPF), told RTL radio one should not take for granted the RN falling short of an absolute majority.
More than 200 candidates across the political spectrum withdrew their candidacies to clear the path for whoever was best placed to defeat the RN candidate in their district, a process known as the "republican front".
However, much uncertainty remains, including whether voters will go along with these efforts to block the RN.
Leading RN figure Marine Le Pen told BFM TV that she still believed her party could score an absolute majority despite most of the political landscape teaming up against her movement.
IFOP pollster Jerome Fourquet, who on Thursday forecast 210-240 seats for the far right and 170-200 for the left, told RMC radio one could not even rule out the leftwing alliance outpacing the RN in the end.
