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French election 2024 live updates: Polls open in pivotal runoff that could propel the far right to power
Live
French election 2024 live updates: Polls open in pivotal runoff that could propel the far right to power
France begins voting in pivotal runoff elections that could hand a historic victory to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its inward-looking, anti-immigrant vision — or produce a hung parliament and years of political deadlock.
By
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
Polls are open for the second round of the French elections, which may lead to France’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation.
Here’s what to know:
- What’s happened to Macron?: After a humbling defeat in the European elections, France’s president called a snap election.
- Marine Le Pen stands a chance: Her anti-immigration, nationalist party National Rally could win a majority for the first time.
- When are the results?: Polling agencies will share projections at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EST), with a final national tally expected by early Monday.
At 28, Jordan Bardella could become the youngest French prime minister
By BARBARA SURK, ELISE MORTON
Chief of the National Rally party Jordan Bardella speaks on stage during the party congress in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
At just 28 years old, Jordan Bardella has helped make the far-right National Rally the strongest political force in France. And now he could become the country’s youngest prime minister.
After voters propelled Marine Le Pen’s National Rally to a strong lead in the first round of snap legislative elections, Bardella turned to rallying supporters to hand their party an absolute majority in the decisive second round that would allow the anti-immigration, nationalist party to run the government, with Bardella at the helm.
Bardella is part of a generation of young people who joined the party under Marine Le Pen in the 2010s but likely wouldn’t have done so under her father.
▶ Read more about Jodan Bardella
Polls open in mainland France
Voting opened Sunday in France for the second round of high-stake legislative elections that have already seen the largest gains ever for the country’s far-right National Rally party.
French President Emmanuel Macron took a huge gamble in dissolving parliament and calling for the elections after his centrists were trounced in European elections on June 9. The first round on June 30 saw the largest gains ever for the anti-immigration, nationalist National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen. Sunday’s vote determines which party controls the National Assembly and who will be prime minister.
A woman casts her ballot in the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
If support is further eroded for Macron’s weak centrist majority, he will be forced to share power with parties opposed to most of his pro-business, pro-European Union policies.
The second-round voting began Saturday in France’s overseas territories from the South Pacific to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and North Atlantic. The elections wrap up Sunday at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) in mainland France. Initial polling projections are expected Sunday night, with early official results expected late Sunday and early Monday.
What to expect as France heads to the polls
FILE – French far right leader Marine Le Pen reacts as she meets supporters and journalists after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
French voters face a decisive choice in the runoff of snap parliamentary elections that could see the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation — or no majority emerging at all.
Official results suggest Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, nationalist party National Rally stands a good chance of winning a majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time, but the outcome remains uncertain amid the complex voting system and political tactics.
▶ Read more on what to expect from today’s election.