A resident casts her ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)
Macron, who defeated Le Pen for his second presidential term in April, had the absolute majority in the National Assembly during his first term.
PARIS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance Ensemble is leading the French legislative elections without winning the absolute majority in the new National Assembly, French news channel BFMTV reported on Sunday.
According to estimations by Elabe for BFMTV, Ensemble won 205 to 235 seats, while 289 seats were needed for an absolute majority.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the press conference after a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, May 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
Left-wing alliance NUPES (la Nouvelle Union Populaire Ecologique et Sociale) led by Jean-Luc Melenchon won 170 to 190 seats and the far-right National Rally led by Marine Le Pen has made history with 75 to 95 seats, according to BFMTV.
The 15 ministers of Macron's cabinet who were not elected as deputies in their constituency will have to leave the government, said BFMTV.
Sunday's elections include 572 run-off races with a total of 1,148 candidates to elect the 577-member National Assembly.
Marine Le Pen, candidate of the far-right National Rally party, attends a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Macron, who defeated Le Pen for his second presidential term in April, had the absolute majority in the National Assembly during his first term. ■
