Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

France heads to the polls again on Sunday. Here's why that matters

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the Vivatech start-ups and technology event Friday, June 17, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool) French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the Vivatech start-ups and technology event Friday, June 17, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)
Share
PARIS -

France heads to the polls on Sunday for the second round of parliamentary elections.

President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble (Together) alliance is seen ahead by opinion polls but with no guarantee of an absolute majority. Read full story

Here are key facts about this election.

WHY ANOTHER FRENCH ELECTION?

Macron, a pro-European centrist, won a second term as French president in April. But to maintain full control of his reform agenda, he also needs to win a majority in the lower house of parliament.

WHAT ARE THE POLLS FORECASTING?

Voter surveys had initially shown Macron's party and its allies - collectively known as Ensemble - winning an absolutely majority in the 577 seat parliament.

But that outcome has becomes less certain.

Polls show a leftist coalition led by hard-left veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon is unlikely to win the 289 seats required for an absolute majority but may secure enough to deprive Macron of the same.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Falling short of an absolute majority would be a big setback for Macron. It would force him to broaden his alliance. The broader the alliance, the more complicated deal-making and dictating policy decisions would become.

A minority cabinet or coalition government would be an unusual scenario for modern-day France. The Fifth Republic was designed to avoid unwieldy coalitions.

If an opposition grouping were to surprise and win a majority, Macron would have to name a prime minister from the winning camp, ushering in a period of so-called cohabitation.

He would retain the lead on foreign policy but leave responsibility for most day-to-day policy matters to the government. Read full story

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN?

Only five lawmakers were elected in the first round last Sunday.

Voting for the run-off in the 572 other constituencies takes place between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (0600-1800 GMT) on June 19.

Polling for legislative elections is trickier than the presidential election as different dynamics on the ground make it harder to predict who will win nationwide.

WHAT DOES THE ELECTION LINE UP LOOK LIKE?

France's two mainstream center-left and center-right parties dominated the French political landscape until Macron's election 2017. Five years on both are still fighting for political relevance and the tectonic plates have shifted.

Macron's party and his allies run under the banner of the centrist Ensemble alliance.

Melenchon has gathered the Socialist Party, Greens and Communists behind his own La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party in an unexpected show of unity on the left. Read full story

His Nupes alliance is second in polls.

The conservatives, Les Republicains, hope to be the third biggest parliamentary group. Though they are forecast to be well behind Macron's camp and the left, they could become kingmakers if Ensemble has the largest group but not an absolute majority.

Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) is polling third in terms of first-round votes, but fourth in terms of projected seats.

(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Catherine Evans)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.