49 million French voters are called to renew the entire deputation of the National Assembly, or 577 deputies in all. This two-round election, which will take place on Sunday and July 7, could permanently change the political landscape of France. As a reminder, the Head of State provoked these early elections by announcing the dissolution of the Assembly on June 9, the same evening as the victory of the extreme right in the European elections.
On Saturday, French voters in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, an archipelago close to Canada, got the ball rolling at 8:00 a.m. local time. Then it was the polling stations in the Antilles, Guyana, French Polynesia and even those on the American continent which opened. As for the French in mainland France, they will go to the polls on Sunday.
The participation rate should be historically high for this suspenseful election. Indeed, observers note numerous postponements of vacations and an explosion in the number of proxies in this context where the National Assembly can be dominated by the extreme right. While only 47.51% of those registered attended the 2022 legislative elections, two thirds are expected this time in the polling stations.
Can the young leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, Jordan Bardella, 28, replace Gabriel Attal, the leader of the outgoing majority, as Prime Minister? Can the left united in the New Popular Front create a surprise? The first results expected from 8:00 p.m. on Sunday should provide more clarity. The lightning campaign ended at midnight on Friday. For the time being and until Sunday evening, the candidates no longer have the right to speak in the media or travel to the field.
