During this unprecedented campaign, they were in the spotlight. Tenors of the majority, the National Rally (RN) and the Popular Front, but also unexpected and criticized personalities, stood as candidates, sometimes in acquired strongholds, sometimes in hostile conditions. Some were elected or eliminated in the first round, others find themselves in the uncomfortable position of the third candidate in “triangulars”. Most will have to continue to fight as first or second.
The elected representatives of the first round
French law allows candidates in legislative elections to be elected in the first round if they are chosen by more than 50% of voters and more than 25% of registered voters. According to an estimate by the Ipsos institute based on the 539 constituencies in metropolitan France, there are between 65 and 85 candidates in this position tonight.
The first to have announced that she had been elected in the first round is Marine Le Pen, candidate “natural” of the RN in the 2027 presidential election. The high turnout prevented her from repeating the experience of June 2022, when the MP for the 11th constituency of Pas-de-Calais had collected nearly 54% of the votes cast in the first round, but with less than 25% of registered voters (then 61% in the second round against the environmentalist Marine Tondelier). In the European elections, the Bardella list had collected 54.5% of the votes in her stronghold.
The vice-president of the National Rally (RN) and deputy from the North Sebastien Chenu was also re-elected in the first round. Final results credit him with 58.35% of the votes against 21.83% for the LFI candidate nominated by the New Popular Front, Cédric Brun.
Olivier Faurethe first secretary of the Socialist Party, was re-elected as deputy for the 11th constituency of Seine-et-Marne in the first round on Sunday, according to partial results from the Ministry of the Interior. He received 52.7% of the votes cast, ahead of the candidate supported by the National Rally (RN) who obtained 30%, according to these results based on 87% of the ballots counted.
At LFI, those close to Jean-Luc Mélenchon Mathilde Skin et Manuel Bompard also announced that they had been re-elected in the first round.
Candidates already eliminated
The head of the French Communist Party (PCF), Fabien Rousselhowever, announced on Sunday evening that he had been eliminated in the first round of the legislative elections by the RN candidate in the 20th constituency of the North. His rival from the National Rally won in the first round, achieving 50.3% of the vote.
The former socialist budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac, convicted of tax fraud in 2018, was also directly eliminated in the 3rd constituency of Lot-et-Garonne. The one who had been a deputy twice for this constituency (1997-2002 then 2007-2012) finished only fourth, with 14.56% of the votes according to the final results. Jérôme Cahuzac resigned in 2013 after revelations from Mediapart, before being sentenced in 2018 for tax fraud to four years in prison, two suspended, and five years of ineligibility.
Third positions in triangulars
In the 10th constituency of Haute-Garonne, the Minister Delegate for Local Authorities Dominique Faure is in a very bad position. The one who was vice-president of the metropolis before her appointment to the government comes in third position, according to a partial count of 81% at 10 p.m., with 28.60% of the votes. She is ahead of the RN candidate, Caroline Falgas-Colomina, second thanks to 31.61% of the votes, and by the candidate of the New Popular Front, Jacques Oberti, first with 35.53% of the votes.
It therefore occupies the one which, in this type of triangle, is called “dead man’s place”. Prime Minister Gabriel Stopcalled for the “withdrawal” candidates of the majority “whose retention in third position would have led to the election of a National Rally MP over another candidate who, like us, defends the values of the Republic.”
The tenors still in the running
The minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmaninannounced that he was in the lead in his constituency of Tourcoing (North), where the RN came in second but obtained a high score.
In Pas-de-Calais, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Agriculture, came second, with 21.54% of the votes, against RN candidate Alban Heusèle (37.31%), according to provisional results from the Ministry of the Interior. She is closely followed by Alexandre Cousin, shepherd and breeder presented by the New Popular Front and supported by local left-wing groups (20.12%)..
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné announced on
Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (Ensemble) came in second behind RN candidate Nicolas Calbrix, according to almost final results from the Ministry of the Interior. She obtained around 28% of the vote, while the RN candidate totalled 36%. The NFP candidate came in third with almost 23% of the votes cast. The First Secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure, announced the withdrawal of the left in Calvados for the « sauver » face au RN.
François Ruffin, New Popular Front candidate but at odds with Jean-Luc Mélenchon since the purge at LFI, came second in his Somme constituency with 36% of the vote, behind the National Rally candidate, at 40%, he said. announced Sunday evening on TF1. On this land of which he has been the deputy for seven years, Marine Le Pen collected 48% of the votes in the 2022 presidential election and Jordan Bardella 40% in the European elections.
Alexis Corbièreoutgoing LFI deputy who was not re-elected by his party, announced Sunday evening on LCI that he would be in the second round of the legislative elections in the 7th constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis. He is ahead the rival candidate officially nominated by LFI for the New Popular Front, Sabrina Ali Benali, said Alexis Corbière on BFMTV, awaiting the official results.
Another historical figure of the movement created by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Danielle Simonnet said on X (ex-Twitter) that she had arrived “largely in the lead” in the 15th district of Paris, “with 42% of the votes in the count” carried out shortly before 10:30 p.m., and thus “assured to be in the 2nd round and to win.” The New Popular Front had nominated trade unionist Céline Verzeletti in his place.
The ex-president Francois Hollandewho has just returned to politics seven years after leaving the Élysée, came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections in his stronghold of Corrèze with 37.65% of the vote, according to almost definitive results with 99% of the ballots counted. The candidate of the New Popular Front came ahead of the National Rally candidate Maïtey Pougey, second with 30.86% of the vote. However, he could face a three-way race if the outgoing MP Francis Dubois (Les Républicains), who came third with 28.63% of the vote, stays in office.
The President of the Republicans of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Laurent Wauquiez, possible right-wing candidate for the Elysée in 2027, came first in his stronghold of Haute-Loire with 36.89% of the vote. The former minister, candidate in the 1st constituency of this rural department, narrowly beats the candidate of the National Rally Alexandre Heuzey, who collected 34.90% of the votes, and arrives far ahead of Celline Gacon invested by the New Popular Front at 18 .04%, announced the prefecture on the basis of 92% of the ballots counted. “And deputy, I will also remain a regional elected official to watch over our territory and keep this anchor which many national elected officials so cruelly lack,” he promised.
The leader of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA), Philippe Poutouinvesti by the New Popular Front, came second (18.70) in the 1st constituency of Aude. However, he was largely outstripped by the RN deputy Christophe Barthès (49.33%). The candidacy of Philippe Poutou, a three-time presidential candidate, and with no particular ties to Aude, was highly contested, because of his comments on the attacks of October 7.
