Voting in France’s parliamentary election

Paris, June 12 Voting is being held in the first round of parliamentary elections in France here on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to secure a majority amid a resurgence of the left-wing coalition.
Polling stations opened at 8am (06:00 GMT) on Sunday local time, after voters in overseas territories cast ballots earlier in the weekend. About 48 million French citizens are eligible to vote.
The process of electing 577 members to the National Assembly i.e. the lower house is a two-round process. More than 6,000 candidates, are in the fray in the first round of the election. Those who receive the most votes will advance to the decisive second round on June 19.
Following Macron’s reelection in May, his centrist coalition is trying to get an absolute majority that would enable it to implement his campaign promises, including tax cuts and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65.
However, the latest opinion polls suggest Macron and his allies may struggle to win over half of the parliamentary seats. A government might get the maximum seats, but not an absolute majority and will have to bargain with legislators to get the bills passed.
Macron’s toughest opponents is the newly-created coalition made up of leftists, greens and communists led by hard-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Mélenchon has urged voters to give his coalition a majority and that way Macron will be forced to name him as prime minister, which would prompt a situation called “cohabitation.”
The leftists’ have campaigned for significant minimum wage increase, lowering the retirement age to 60 and locking in energy prices.
Mélenchon’s coalition is predicted to win more than 200 seats, but little chance of winning a majority. Macron and his allies are expected to win between 260 and 320 seats, according to the latest polls.
The French far-right, led by Marine Le Pen, is expected to win at least 15 seats, allowing it to form a parliamentary group and gain greater powers at the assembly.