Summary
France's far right National Rally (RN) has made big gains in the first round of the parliamentary election, exit polls suggest
Celebrating her party's early success, Marine Le Pen says "democracy has spoken" as she declares President Emmanuel Macron's camp "practically wiped out"
For his part, Macron is calling for a broad alliance against RN ahead of next week's second round
His prime minister has warned that the far right is "at the gates of power", saying where candidates from his camp came third they should not stand in next week's round
Voter turnout in Sunday's poll soared - the highest in a parliamentary election since 1997
The snap parliamentary election was called by Macron following his party's defeat by the RN at the European elections earlier this month
Only candidates who manage to win more than 12.5% of the vote will go through to the next round
Live Reporting
Edited by Laura Gozzi
Four things we learned from a momentous night in Francepublished at 00:39
00:39
Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter- The far-right National Rally achieved a remarkable - if predicted - score, with over 33% of the vote. It is, however, not clear whether they will manage to translate this success into an absolute majority in next Sunday's run-offs
- A hastily cobbled-together and sometimes uneasy alliance of parties ranging from moderate socialists to far left candidates achieved 28%. French PM Gabriel Attal has warned the RN was "at the gates of power" and he and left-wing leaders have it a priority to stop the far right from reaching power
- President Macron's alliance came third, with 21% - a disappointing showing, but better than the wipeout that some had anticipated
- Turnout was the highest in decades, reaching 67%. It could be higher still for the second round next Sunday
We'll be wrapping up our coverage shortly, but you can scroll down this live page to see how the day - and night - unfolded.
And to find out what it all means, do read our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield's analysis here.
Today's page was edited by Johanna Chisholm and Laura Gozzi. It was written by Henri Astier, Paul Kirby, Alexandra Fouche and Toby Lockhurst.
Snap election was a 'mistake', Macron candidate tells BBCpublished at 00:06
00:06
BBC Newshour
BBC World Service
Image source, Getty ImagesFrench President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap election was "mistake”, a member of the president’s Renaissance party says.
Christopher Weissberg,who represents French nationals living in North America in the outgoing parliament, told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme that he was “flabbergasted" by the move:
"It was a political mistake. He [Mr Macron] tried toclarify positions of different parties, but in a way that was so difficult forany clear majority to win that it gave a real advantage to the far right.”
MrWeissberg added that the only concern now should be avoiding a majority for the National Rally.
"We need to build up together a coalition to avoid the tragedy of the far rightin power for the first time in France since the Second World War."
Some candidates you may have heard of and how they are doingpublished at 23:46 30 June
23:46 30 June
Alexandra Fouché
Live reporterImage source, ReutersLet's have a look at some of the high-profile candidates in these elections and how are they are faring tonight:
- Former French President François Hollande came first in his constituency of Corrèze, external in central France with more than 37% of the votes, followed by a NR candidate (nearly 31%) and a Republicans candidate (nearly 29%) - so it looks as though he will have a three-way fight on his hands to win the second round
- French PM Gabriel Attal is ahead in his constituency in the Hauts-de-Seine in the Paris region, with three-quarters of the votes counted
- Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is in a similar position in his constituency in the north of France
- In the Normandy region of Calvados, former PM Elisabeth Borne came second, external behind a RN candidate
Protesters stage anti-RN rally in Parispublished at 22:53 30 June
22:53 30 June
Hundreds of New Popular Front (NFP) supporters have gathered on the Place de la République in the French capital, Paris, to express their opposition to the far-right National Rally (RN) after tonight's good results for the party:
Image source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, AFP/Getty ImagesThree-horse races aplenty in second roundpublished at 22:38 30 June
22:38 30 June
Henri Astier
Live reporterImage source, Getty ImagesNext Sunday'ssecond round will include a record number of three-way races. According to an estimate by outlet France Info, asmany as 315 constituencies could see such "triangulaires".
Haggling betweenparties will result in many third-placed candidates withdrawing for tacticalreasons, so the final number remains unclear.
But there are bound to be many more three-horse races than in previous elections. The total was eight in 2022. In 2017 there was just one.
See AlsoBST to EST to CAT to PST to CSTPST to MYT to BST to ESTPST to BST to CDT to EST to ISTColombo, Sri Lanka to EST to BST to PST to CT to GMT to SAST to Sydney, Australia to AEDT to ISTThe reason forthis proliferation of "triangulaires" is a high turnout. To make it to the run-off, a candidate needs to secure at least 12.5% of registered voters.
The more people take part, the easier it isto reach this threshold. In at least oneconstituency today, four candidates cleared the hurdle.
The other reasonis the realignment of French politics into three blocks: Macron's centre,the left and the hard right. The days of the straightforward left-right split are gone.
The upshot: a second round that is harder to call than ever.
The scene at the National Rally's headquarterspublished at 22:19 30 June
22:19 30 June
Rob Young
Reporting from Hénin-BeaumontAsthe first vote projections appeared on two large TV screens here, the crowd ofNational Rally supporters erupted.
Hundreds of people who back the party leaptto their feet, cheered and hugged each other. The party's projected first placein the legislative elections is a historic moment for the party and for France.
The champagne, which was already flowing here beforethe projection was released, has continued to do so since. Chants of “Marine!Marine!” filled this community centre in a small town in the north east ofFrance.
Leader Marine Le Pen appeared on a stage, the French tricolor behindher, and said she had been returnedto the National Assembly to represent this district, for the first time in thefirst round without the need for a run-off contest. Another first.
After sheaddressed her adoring supporters, they waved the French flag and sang thenational anthem, the Marseillaise.
The main lights in this hall are off, thereare coloured spotlights shining, and it has the aroma and high energy music ofa nightclub. This is a party partying.
But tomorrow there is more campaigningto do if they are to secure the parliamentary majority that Marine Le Pen wantsand, she says, that France needs.
How will the second round work?published at 22:01 30 June
22:01 30 June
As we just mentioned in our previous post, next week's second round election might not end with an outright majority.
As a reminder, there are 577 seats in the National Assembly, including 13 overseas districts and 11 constituencies that represent French expats abroad. To secure an absolute majority a party needs 289.
The Macron alliance had only 250 seats in the outgoing Assembly and had to build support from other parties every time to pass a law.
The first round, which just happened today, eliminates all candidates who fail to win the support of 12.5% of locally registered voters.
Anyone who scores 50% of the vote with a turnout of at least a quarter of the local electorate wins automatically. That happens in a handful of constituencies.
The second round, what we'll be turning our attention to on 7 July, is a series of run-offs fought either by two, three or sometimes four candidates.
As we've been reporting, some candidates may drop out before then to give an ally a better chance of stopping a rival from winning - for example from the far right.
Image source, .So, what happens now?published at 21:46 30 June
21:46 30 June
Exit polls project that the far right National Rally party have won 34% of the vote in the first round of France's parliamentary election.
This means the country could end up with a far-right government, after the second round of voting takes place on 7 July.
But with the vote counting in this first round just now getting under way, and some politicians already calling for tactical voting to deny far-right candidates power, it's not clear that any group will take an outright majority once the dust settles after voting finishes next week.
How do these French elections work? Why has Macron even called them? And what happens if a different party from President Macron's is in charge in parliament?
You can get the basics about how this vote works in our handy election explainer here.
PM Gabriel Attal: Stop RN from winningpublished at 21:30 30 June
21:30 30 June
Image source, ReutersGabriel Attal, President Macron's prime minister, has said that the far right is "at the gates of power".
Attal warned that "tonight is not like any other night" and called on voters to "prevent the National Rally from winning an absolute majority in the second round."
To this end, he said, candidates from the Macron-led Ensemble alliance that qualify for the second round but have no chance of winning will withdraw to give the non RN-candidate the best chance to win.
"Our objective now is to stop the RN from winning an absolute majority and to lead the country with their disastrous project," he said.
"Not a single vote should go to the National Rally," he added.
Big rise in turnout reflects pivotal electionpublished at 21:18 30 June
21:18 30 June
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in ParisWe were told there would be a big turnout, and at an estimated 65.5% we got one: the highest in a parliamentary election since 1997.
It's that rare because, since 2002, the vote for parliament has always followed around a month after presidential elections, so the stakes have never been that high.
Until now, when Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and upended the workings of French democracy.
It wasn't just National Rally that got its voters out, because the left-wing New Popular Front did too, and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says hundreds of Ensemble candidates will still be there to fight on in the second round.
This is what the breakdown in seats looks like, according to the France Télévisions-Radio France exit poll.
Other exit polls suggest RN could win an absolute majority next Sunday, but this one shows that at best they are only a few seats short of the 289 they need, with a range of 230-280 seats.
Image source, .What happened in France this evening?published at 20:46 30 June
20:46 30 June
Image source, ReutersIt's been quite a day, with lots of projection, polling and now, some results. If you’re just joining us, here’s a round up of what’s been happening on a historic day in France:
- The far-right National Rally (RN) party are projectedto have won the most votes in the first round of the parliamentary election – withexit polls predicting they took around 34%
- Exit polls put the left-wing coalition, the NewPopular Front, in second place – a group created to combat the far right inthis election – on around 28%
- President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble centrist grouping is in third with about 20%
- The RN's Marine Le Pen says Macron’s party was “practically wiped out”
- Jordan Bardella, RN's leader, has called this election France’s “most consequential” in 60 years
- Other party leaders, however, have called on citizensto vote tactically in the second round next week and reject the far right
- Jean-Luc Melenchon of thehard-left France Unbowed party has vowed to “pull out" candidates in areaswhere his party has polled third, to give a greater chance of defeating the farright
- Voter turnout is projected at 67.5%, according to market research group the Elabe organisation, external – which would be the highest turnout in a legislativeelection since 1981
France's far right surges ahead in early exit pollspublished at 20:30 30 June
20:30 30 June
As we've been reporting, French voters came out in huge numbers today in the first round of the parliamentary election.
President Emmanuel Macron, who chose to address the country from a written statement, commended people for their high participation, saying "it proves the importance of this vote for all our compatriots".
While we wait to get some more reaction to these results, here's a look at how things unfolded today - in pictures.
Image source, ReutersImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesThe rise and rise of France's far rightpublished at 20:11 30 June
20:11 30 June
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in ParisImage source, KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFPFrom the extreme fringes of French society, this rebranded far-right party is now knocking at the gates of power.
One of its founders, Pierre Bousquet, was in the Nazi Waffen SS during World War Two, another key official was a collaborator in France's Vichy regime.
Wind forward to 2002, when Marine Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, made it to the presidential election run-off in 2002 as leader of the National Front.
France held its breath and less than 18% of voters backed him.
When France voted for its National Assembly in 2017, the National Front won only eight seats and came third with 13% in the first round.
A year later Marine Le Pen renamed her party Rassemblement National (National Rally) and in 2022 it won 89 seats, scoring only 18.7% in the first round.
RN won 31.4% three weeks ago in the European elections, but if tonight's exit poll of 34% is confirmed, just in terms of voter numbers across France, it's unprecedented and historic.
No wonder Jordan Bardella is calling next Sunday's vote "one of the most decisive in the history of the Fifth Republic".
Counting under way in Toulousepublished at 20:00 30 June
20:00 30 June
Chris Bockman
Reporting from ToulouseI’min the majestical prefecture government building which resembles the Élysée Palace a little. It’s where the results are beginning to come in from this partof France.
Counting is well under way in Toulouse andtoo early to call in France’s fourth city, but in the suburbs it’s clear alreadythat President Macron’s centrist alliance is doing badly - coming a distant thirdbehind both the far right and the left-wing alliance.
However, the government’s candidates stilllook certain to make it into the second round. So it’s still far from clear howthe political situation in this part of France will look a week from now.
Nevertheless, it's clear that the far right - which had little support in this part of France just a decade ago - is surging byfocusing on the cost of living crisis and a perceived rise in violent crime.
Two paths now open to France - Bardellapublished at 19:52 30 June
19:52 30 June
Image source, ReutersThe leader of National Rally, Jordan Bardella, has been speaking in Paris.
The French people had given rise "to hope without precedent in the country," he said, adding he was grateful for the high turnout.
The second round, next Sunday, will be the "most consequential" since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958, said Bardella.
He said the choice was now clear and that there were two avenues open to the country - "the worst path" with the left-wing coalition which presented an "existential peril", and the path led by the National Rally in coalition with some sections of Eric Ciotti's right-wing party the Republicans.
Bardella said he would be a prime minister who would be respectful of the president in a state of cohabitation - when the leading party in parliament is different from the president's party - but ready to stand his ground.
He also said he would be the prime minister of "of all French" people if the far right were to win an absolute majority in the second round on Sunday next week.
Parties begin prioritising blocking far rightpublished at 19:49 30 June
19:49 30 June
Image source, ReutersLess than an hour after the end of voting in the first round, party heavyweights are already looking ahead to the second taking place next week.
With dozens of three-way races expected, the leaders are considering when to tactically withdraw third-placed candidates.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, who heads the hard-left France Unbowed party, has just said: "Nowhere will we allow the [far-right] National Rally to win."
Quote Message
This is why, in the cases where we come third, we will pull out of the race."
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Will National Rally get an outright majority?published at 19:47 30 June
19:47 30 June
Hugh Schofield
Reporting from ParisNo sign then of a switchback towards the centre.
President Emmanuel Macron called the snap vote, hoping the National Rally’s triumph inthe European election three weeks ago would prove to be fleeting.
Butthe opposite appears to be true, with the far-right actually increasing itsshare of the vote yet again and now looking set to dominate the next parliament.
The big question is whether next Sunday’s second round of the election willallow Marine le Pen and her co-leader Jordan Bardella to get an outrightmajority – that is 289 seats – and thus govern with the legislature clearlybehind them. Projections tonight range from 260 to 310.
So there isa still a lot to play before, and there are already calls - from thepresident himself and others - for centrists and left-wingers to votetactically next Sunday in order to keep out RN candidates.
Macron camp 'practically wiped out' - Le Penpublished at 19:25 30 June
19:25 30 JuneBreaking
Image source, ReutersThe National Rally's Marine Le Pen has just addressed cheering supporters in her northern constituency of Henin-Beaumont.
"Democracy has spoken and the French have put the RN and its allies at the top, practically wiping out the Macron camp," she says.
She adds that people clearly want to "turn the page after seven years of scornful and corrosive rule" and asks people to vote for the RN again next Sunday in the second round.
"We need an absolute majority so that [RN leader] Jordan Bardella can be appointed prime minister in a week's time," she adds.
What are the early exit polls saying?published at 19:13 30 June
19:13 30 June
We can now bring you the 19:00 BST exit poll, conducted by Ipsos-Talan for France Télévisions and Radio France.
We expect more details to come throughout the evening. Stick with us as we bring you those, and more analysis from our correspondents in France.
Image source, .Macron calls for broad alliance against far-rightpublished at 19:11 30 June
19:11 30 June
Following the early exit polls just announced, French President Emmanuel Macron has just spoken with AFP news agency.
The French president has called for voters to rally behind "republican and democratic" candidates in the second round of the elections being held next Sunday.
Macron also welcomed the high voter turnout in today's first round.
