National Rally has come third in the second round of voting in France’s parliamentary election, according to exit polls.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right party was being tipped to emerge as the dominant force in French politics following President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to hold a snap poll.
But the left-wing New Popular Front coalition (NPF) is expected to win the most seats (182) in the second voting round of parliamentary elections.
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist group, Ensemble, is predicted to win 163 seats with National Rally (RN) in third on an estimated 143 seats, according BFM TV.
After RN emerged from the first round of voting as the leading party, centrist and leftist parties agreed to withdraw 221 candidates, including 83 from President Macron’s camp and 132 from the NPF, in order to avoid three-way run-offs.
Le Pen said RN’s victory had “merely been delayed”, adding that she “sees the seeds of tomorrow’s victory in today’s result”.
She also described Mr Macron’s position as “untenable”.
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Jordan Bardella, president of National Rally, said: “We’ve been thrown into the arms of the extreme left and of Jean-Luc Melenchon.”
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