PARIS, July 7 Polling stations for voting have opened in France in the second, final round of early elections to the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
The elections will determine whether the right-wing National Rally party will become the leading force in the National Assembly and whether its leader Jordan Bardella will take the post of prime minister.
On the European territory of the country, voting will last from eight in the morning to six in the evening. In large cities, polling stations can be open for up to 20 hours, depending on the flow of voters.
The first official results will be announced after this time.
The turnout in the first round hit a record high and exceeded 66%.
The French in two rounds, June 30 and July 7, need to choose 577 deputies who will represent their interests in the country's parliament.
In the first round, the right-wing National Rally party, together with its allies from the Republican Party, gained 33.15% of the votes, the left-wing bloc New Popular Front received 27.99%, President Emmanuel Macron's coalition came third, gaining 20 .04%.
In order to prevent the right from coming to power, the Macronists and the left began to recall their candidates who took third place in their constituencies. It is assumed that during the “duels” — the second round, where candidates from Le Pen’s party will fight with candidates for the seat of a deputy from Macron’s coalition or the left, the National Rally will have less chance of winning.
224 candidates were withdrawn.
The country's Ministry of Internal Affairs announced a high probability of unrest following the election results. More than 30 thousand security forces will be deployed to ensure security in France, of which five thousand will be in Paris and its suburbs.