Parliamentary election a vital test for France’s Macron

Paris: French voters are choosing lawmakers in a parliamentary election Sunday as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to secure his majority while under growing threat from a leftist coalition. More than 6,000 candidates, ranging in age from 18 to 92, are running for 577 seats in the National Assembly 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 seeking an absolute majority that would enable it to implement his campaign promises, which include tax cuts and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65.

But the latest opinion polls suggest Macron and his allies may have trouble winning over half of the parliamentary seats. A government with a large, but not absolute majority would still be able to rule, but only by bargaining with legislators.

The main opposition force appears to be a newlycreated coalition made up of leftists, greens and communists led by hard-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mélenchon urged voters to give his coalition a majority and thereby force Macron to name him as prime minister, which would prompt a situation called “cohabitation.”

The leftists’ platform includes a significant minimum wage increase, lowering the retirement age to 60 and locking in energy prices. Mélenchon, an antiglobalization firebrand who has called for France to pull out of NATO and “disobey” EU rules, urged voters to give his coalition a majority and thereby force Macron to name him as prime minister, which would prompt a situation called “cohabitation.”

Though Mélenchon’s coalition could win more than 200 seats, current projections give the left little chance of winning a majority in the National Assembly. Macron and his allies are expected to win between 260 and 320 seats, according to the latest polls. The National Assembly has final say over the Senate when it comes to voting in laws. —AP