STORY: Dozens of protesters gathered in the French capital on Sunday (June 30) evening following initial results of the first round of a parliamentary election which tipped Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) as the winner.
Protesters set off flares in Paris as they marched through the city’s streets, past smoking tear gas canisters and flaming trash cans.
The RN was seen winning around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe showed, in a huge setback for President Emmanuel Macron who had called the snap election after his ticket was trounced by the RN in European Parliament elections earlier this month.
The RN’s chances of winning power next week will depend on the political dealmaking made by its rivals over the coming days. In the past, centre-right and centre-left parties have teamed up to keep the RN from power, but that dynamic, known as the “republican front,” is less certain than ever.
