France's far right is hoping for a historic success in the parliamentary election as voting began on Saturday in the country's overseas territories.
Marine Le Pen's anti-immigrant and eurosceptic party National Rally (RN) is leading, according to recent opinion polls.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap election earlier this month after his party suffered defeat in the European Parliament elections.
The move could see his presidency cut short three years before it was due to end if he loses.
Voting for the new National Assembly began in France's overseas territories that span the globe, with residents of the tiny archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada, casting their ballots on Saturday.
They were being followed by voters in France's islands in the Caribbean and the South American territory of French Guiana. Voting in territories in the Pacific will be followed by those in the Indian Ocean before it gets under way on the mainland on Sunday.
The candidates ended their frantic three-week campaigns at midnight on Friday, with political activity banned until the first round of voting in France on Sunday.
Most polls show that Ms Le Pen's RN party is on course to win the most seats in the 577-member National Assembly, parliament's lower house, although it remains unclear if the party will secure an outright majority.
“Victory is within our grasp, so let's seize this historic opportunity and get out and vote!” Ms Le Pen wrote on X on Friday, vowing to bolster purchasing power and “curb insecurity and immigration”.
A high turnout is predicted and final opinion polls have given the RN between 35 per cent and 37 per cent of the vote, against 27.5 per cent to 29 per cent for the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, and 20 per cent to 21 per cent for Mr Macron's centrist camp.
On Monday, Mr Macron plans to convene a government meeting to decide the course of action ahead of the second round of voting on July 7.
France is heading for a year of political chaos and confusion with a hung assembly, said Mujtaba Rahman, Europe head at Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy.
“There is no precedent in recent French politics for such an impasse,” Mr Rahman said.
Some 49 million French are eligible to vote.
Brice Teinturier, head of the Ipsos polling firm, said there were two tendencies coming out of the campaign.
“One is a dynamic of hope” with left-wing and RN supporters believing that “there can be a change”.
But Mr Teinturier also highlighted “the negative politicisation, the fear, the dread caused” by the RN and the hard-left France Unbowed party which is part of the left-wing coalition.
Mr Macron apparently hoped to catch political opponents off guard by presenting voters with a crucial choice about France's future, but observers say he might have lost his gamble.
Many have pointed to a spike in hate speech, intolerance and racism during the charged campaign.
Speaking in Brussels late on Thursday, Mr Macron deplored “racism or anti-Semitism”.
Mr Macron has stood by his decision to call the elections, while warning voters that a win by the far right or hard left could spark a “civil war” in France.
He has insisted he will serve out the remainder of his second term until 2027, no matter which party wins.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
