Macron falls short of securing absolute majority – video
Although the party coalition supporting the French head of state managed to send the most members to parliament, it failed to win an absolute majority. The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, finished with spectacular results, far exceeding preliminary estimates.
The number of those turning up at the polls in the second round of the French parliamentary elections was barely a half per cent more than the first-round turnout figures registered a week earlier. Just like in the first round, data was released at noon and it shows that Lot department took the lead with a 29.05% voter turnout, ahead of Correze with 28.5%, and Dordogne coming in third with 28.36%. Again, just like in the first round, Seine-Saint-Denis department, neighbouring Paris, produced the lowest turnout at just 8.88 per cent. Very few people, only 10.1 per cent, showed up at the polls in the department of Val-d’Oise, near the capital, and 10.9 per cent in the department of Val-de-Marne. Turnout in the capital Paris also fell short of the national average, with 10.81 per cent of voters casting their ballots, Le Figaro reports.
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, cast their ballots in a town called Le Touquet in northern France shortly after 12 pm. The head of state thanked all those who made the elections possible, because in his opinion, they are the ones who keep democracy alive.
Comme les millions de Françaises et de Français attendus dans les bureaux de vote aujourd’hui, j’ai voté. Merci á toutes celles et á tous ceux qui permettent au scrutin de se tenir : vous faites vivre notre démocratie. pic.twitter.com/vrV1sSNfQd
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 19, 2022
According to data released by the interior ministry, people’s willingness to vote has declined in the afternoon, with second-round turnout figures registered at 5 pm on 19 June standing at 38.11 per cent, down 1.31 per cent from the first round results of 39.42 per cent a week ago. Compared to the second round figures of the 2017 elections, this year’s numbers show an increased turnout at the polls, up from 35.33 per cent five years ago.
🗳🇫🇷 #Élections2022 l Taux de participation á 17h pour le 2nd tour des élections #législatives2022 en France métropolitaine : 38,11%. pic.twitter.com/rxUsvk6PtW
— Ministère de l’Intérieur 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@Interieur_Gouv) June 19, 2022
Although polls closed in most municipalities at 6 pm, in the big cities they were open until 8 pm, and the results of the second round of the 2022 French parliamentary elections, which is also the final result, were made public only afterwards.
According to Le Figaro, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne was elected to parliament in the department of Calvados, beating the candidate of the left-wing Nupes coalition, Noe Gauchard, with 52.3% to 47.7%.
The result of the second round was extremely important for Ms Borne, because it was crucial for her to keep her position as prime minister,
Le Figaro reports.
According to the primary results, the 2022 parliamentary elections has been a historic failure for President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble (Together) party group, which won the most seats but fell far short of an absolute majority. In the country’s 577-member parliament, Mr Macron should have won at least 289 seats but, according to estimations, the president’s party will have between 205 and 235 MPs in the newly formed French parliament.
Left-wing coalition Nupes will likely be the strongest opposition, with an expected 170-190 seats.
The performance of the right-wing National Rally (RN) exceeded all expectations, they won between 75 and 95 seats.
Législatives: Ensemble en tête mais très loin de la majorité absolue, le RN réalise une performance historique avec 75 á 95 députés pic.twitter.com/PIy6aFTYuC
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 19, 2022
Right-wing politician Jordan Bardella welcomed the landslide victory of his party, the National Accord, which he called “a tsunami” in an interview.
C’est un tsunami, nous obtenons visiblement une centaine de députés. Le peuple français entre ce soir massivement á l’Assemblée nationale et fait d’Emmanuel Macron un président minoritaire !#Législatives2022 pic.twitter.com/SfypyediL7
— Jordan Bardella (@J_Bardella) June 19, 2022
Meanwhile, Le Parisien reported that former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, France’s new budget minister, admitted that the result was far below their expectations.
DIRECT LÉGISLATIVES | Le résultat de ces #legislatives2022 est «loin de ce qu’on espérait», juge Gabriel Attal
➡️ https://t.co/uXHjZfdfEX pic.twitter.com/Jvb61MkcRc— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) June 19, 2022
It was a major blow for Mr Macron that his newly appointed Health Minister Brigitte Bourgignon lost to National Rally politician Christine Engrand in the sixth constituency of the Pas-de-Calais department, Le Figaro reports. The article also points out that there was an only 56-vote discrepancy between the two politicians.
Government spokeswoman Olivia Gregoire announced that they are willing to ally with anyone who takes the country forward, Le Figaro concluded its report.