Paris — President Emmanuel Macron expanded his control of French politics as voters put his party on track to a sweeping majority in the national assembly in the first round of legislative elections, ousting establishment stalwarts in the process. The new president’s year-old party, Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM), won 32.3% of the vote alongside its centrist ally MoDem, more than 13 percentage points ahead of the Republicans’ group, according to the interior ministry’s final vote count. The first round was marked by record-low turnout with less than half the registered voters casting a ballot. In an alliance with the centrist MoDem party, Macron’s group will have between 415 and 455 seats out of 577 in the lower house of parliament, according to projections by Ipsos. The results — which need to be confirmed in a final round of voting next Sunday — would give Macron the biggest majority in the assembly since 1993. That offers the 39-year-old president the power to p...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.