Far-left ex-presidential candidate and candidate in the parliamentary elections Jean-Luc Melenchon after waves to supporters after he delivers his speech after winning his race for a parliamentary seat in Marseille southern France, Sunday, June 18, 2017. French voters are casting ballots Sunday in the final round of parliamentary elections that could clinch President Emmanuel Macron's hold on power, as his fledgling party appears set to rout mainstream rivals and turn politics as usual on its head.(AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Republished June 18, 2017 - 1:19 PM
Original Publication Date June 18, 2017 - 12:14 AM
PARIS - The Latest on France's parliamentary elections (all times local):
10:15 p.m.
German government officials are celebrating the clear victory of President Emmanuel Macron's party in France's parliamentary election.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, wrote Sunday on Twitter that "France now has a strong president with a strong majority in parliament." Altmaier added: "Good for Europe and for Germany!"
The German Foreign Ministry quoted Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Twitter as saying that "the road is clear for reforms, in France and in Europe."
Germany and France have the eurozone's two biggest economies and are the traditional motor of European integration.
With 82 per cent of the votes counted, Macron's party had 42 per cent of the vote, the conservative Republicans 22 per cent, the far-right National Front 10 per cent and the Socialists only 6 per cent.
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9:35 p.m.
The head of France's Socialist party has quit after his party suffered a horrendous defeat in the country's parliamentary election.
Socialist party leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis says that President "Emmanuel Macron's triumph is uncontestable, the defeat of the left is unavoidable, and the defeat of the Socialist party is irrevocable."
He added that the party needs to change its ideas and its organization and that a "collective leadership" is going to replace him.
With 75 per cent of the votes counted Sunday night, Macron's party won 42 per cent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans with 22 per cent. The Socialists, who before Macron ran the government, won only 6 per cent of the vote.
Macron left a position in the Socialist government to run an independent presidential campaign.
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9:15 p.m.
France's prime minister says French voters have given a clear majority to new French President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist government.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, a centre-right politician who joined Macron's movement, said "through their vote, a wide majority of the French have chosen hope over anger."
He called on the new majority of lawmakers who were elected Sunday to help the government implement Macron's political agenda. He said his determination is "total" to work on major reforms in the coming months.
With 75 per cent of the votes counted Sunday night, the Interior Ministry says Macron's party has won 42 per cent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans in a distant second with 22 per cent.
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8:50 p.m.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has won her first French parliamentary seat in a vote that was dominated by President Emmanuel Macron's centrists.
Le Pen said she won with about 58 per cent of the vote Sunday in Henin-Beaumont in northern France. She said her far-right National Front has won at least 6 seats in the French parliament and is still waiting for other results.
Le Pen said her party's lawmakers will "fight with all necessary means the harmful projects of the government." She said they will especially fight against what she called Macron's pro-European, pro-migrant policies.
With 57 per cent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 per cent of the vote.
Macron handily beat Le Pen in France's May 7 presidential election.
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8:35 p.m.
France's conservative leader has declared his party the main opposition after losing to new President Emmanuel Macron's movement in the nation's parliamentary vote.
Republicans leader Francois Baroin on Sunday wished Macron "good luck" because he said he wants France to succeed. He said lawmakers in his conservative party are going to have a strong enough bloc in the lower house of parliament to be able to voice their views.
With 57 per cent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 per cent of the vote, followed by the Republicans with 23 per cent.
Pollsters project that Macron's party and its allies won a clear majority in the National Assembly, the powerful lower house.
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8:15 p.m.
Partial official results from France's second-round parliamentary elections show President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party with a clear lead over the country's traditional right-wing and leftist parties.
With 57 per cent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 per cent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans with 23 per cent. The ministry said the far-right National Front was in third place with nearly 10 per cent followed by the Socialists with 6.2 per cent.
Pollsters project that Macron's party and its allies won a clear majority in the National Assembly, the powerful lower house.
Many candidates in his party joined only after Macron won the presidency in May.
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8 p.m.
French polling agencies are projecting that President Emmanuel Macron's new centrist party will have a large majority in the powerful lower house of parliament and a clear mandate to overhaul the way France works and does business.
The projections from Sunday's second-round legislative elections suggest that Macron's Republic on the Move! party handily beat the traditional left and right parties that have led the National Assembly for decades.
The pollsters project that Macron's candidates and their allies won as many as 360 seats in the 577-seat chamber. That was less than some had expected after its crushing victory in last week's first-round vote.
Macron wants to use his mandate to strip away some labour protections to encourage hiring and to toughen security.
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5:50 p.m.
The turnout in France's parliamentary election is trending low, with just over 35 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots by late afternoon.
The turnout rate in Sunday's final round of voting to fill 577 seats in France's powerful lower house, the National Assembly, is crucial to boost opposition parties. President Emmanuel Macron's fledgling Republic on the Move! party is hoping for a steamroller win in this election that would upend years of French political expectations. Pollsters predict that pro-Macron candidates — who only got together after his May 7 presidential win — could take up to 450 seats in parliament.
Three hours before the polls close, the Interior Minister put the turnout rate at just over 35 per cent, less than the 41 per cent at the same hour in the first round of parliamentary voting a week ago.
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1:40 p.m.
French authorities say 17.8 per cent of voters have cast ballots so far in the final round of parliamentary elections, down from previous votes, amid concern about low turnout.
The Interior Ministry said the midday participating figures in Sunday's nationwide voting compare to 21.4 per cent at midday during the second round of the last parliamentary elections in 2012.
At midday during the first round voting last Sunday, turnout was 19.2 per cent. Overall, the first-round vote saw record low voter interest, with less than half of France's 47.5 million voters taking part overall.
Rivals of President Emmanuel Macron's dominant new party are urging more voters to cast ballots this time in hopes of preventing him from having a crushing majority.
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9:05 a.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron has voted in parliamentary elections expected to hand his 14-month-old party a big majority.
Curious crowds gathered in the northern seaside town of Le Touquet where Macron cast a ballot Sunday morning in the second round of elections for the 577-seat National Assembly. His centrist Republic on the Move! party is expected to win more than 400 seats.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, a centre-right politician who joined Macron's movement, cast his ballot in the port of Le Havre.
Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is voting in the depressed northern town of Henin-Beaumont, where she is running for a parliament seat.
Far-left ex-presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is voting in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, where he is seeking a seat as well.
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8 a.m.
French voters are casting ballots in the final round of parliamentary elections that could clinch President Emmanuel Macron's hold on power, as his fledgling party overturns politics as usual.
Pollsters say that after routing traditional parties in last week's first-round vote, Macron's Republic on the Move! party could win up to 450 seats Sunday in the 577-seat National Assembly, the powerful lower chamber.
That would allow Macron to move fast with promised legislation, notably on changing labour laws to make hiring and firing easier.
Candidates from the conservative party, The Republicans, are expected to form the largest opposition group, with 70-110 seats, according to pollsters.
Less than half of the 47.5 million-strong electorate turned out last Sunday, a record low that especially punished Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front party.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017