A resurgent and newly unified left will try to curb President Emmanuel Macron's plans for reform as France goes to the polls in the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday.
After a poor performance in April, the French left has unified in a coalition for what its leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called “the third round” of the presidential elections.
Elections for the 577 seats in the lower house National Assembly are a two-round process. The shape of the new parliament will become clear only after the second round, a week later, on June 19.
The ballots provide a conclusion to April's presidential election, when Mr Macron won a second term and pledged a transformative era after a first mandate dominated by protests, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war against Ukraine.
Polls opened in mainland France at 8am after voters in overseas territories cast ballots earlier in the weekend.
Opinion polls show the president's centrist alliance, Ensemble (Together), and Melenchon's Nupes coalition of left, socialists, communists and Greens neck-and-neck in the popular vote.
But France's constituency-based parliamentary system and the two-round election means that the seat breakdown will be another matter, and much will depend on turnout in the second round.
The abstention rate is predicted to be more than 50 per cent in the first round, in what would be a record for elections already marked by low participation in recent years.
If the president's alliance retains an overall majority, Mr Macron will be able to carry on governing as before.
Falling short could prompt messy bill-by-bill deals with right-wing parties in Parliament or an unwanted Cabinet reshuffle.
A win by the left-wing alliance — seen as unlikely by analysts but not impossible — would be trouble for Mr Macron.
It would raise the spectre of a clunky “cohabitation”, where the prime minister and president hail from different factions, which has paralysed French politics in the past.
The most recent example was from 1997 to 2002, when right-wing president Jacques Chirac ruled in tandem with Socialist Lionel Jospin as Prime Minister.
Socialist president Francois Mitterand twice had to cohabit with right-wingers: with Chirac in a famously fractious relationship and then with Edouard Balladur.
Mr Melenchon, a former Marxist, has already made clear his ambition to become prime minister and stymie Mr Macron's plan to raise the French retirement age, although the president would retain control over foreign policy.
Emmanuel Macron swears in for second term — in pictures
Mr Macron acknowledged the stakes were high, warning France against choosing “extremes” that would add “crisis to crisis”.
“If the presidential election is crucial, the legislative election is decisive,” he said on a visit to the rural Tarn region, calling for a “strong and clear majority”.
Polls have indicated that Mr Macron's alliance is expected to win the largest number of seats but is by no means assured of getting over the line of 289 for an absolute majority.
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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