PARIS (Sputnik) — Most polling stations will be closed at 6 p.m. local time, in large cities the voting will last until 8 p.m.

In 2012, voter turnout in the second round of the parliamentary elections by 5 p.m. reached 46.42 percent, in 2007, it stood at 49.58 percent, and in 2002 — 46.83 percent.

Lat week, France held the first round of the parliamentary election, however, none side managed to gain over 50 percent of votes, that is why the second round will take place. Centrist La Republique en Marche party (REM), founded by President Emmanuel Macron, came in first with 28.21 percent of the votes. The right-wing Republicans gained 15.77 percent, while National Front had 13.2 percent and the left-wing La France Insoumise got 11.02 percent. The previously ruling Socialist Party got 7.44 percent.

Polls now suggest that REM is poised to get some 430 seats in France's 577-seat parliament after the second round, while The Republicans could dip as low as 85 seats and the Socialists to between 20 and 35 seats. </s> Residents of New Caledonia, Reunion and Mayotte will vote on Sunday.

Overseas France consists of all the French-administered territories outside of the European continent, and it is divided in 27 electoral districts, each of which must elect one lawmaker for the National Assembly.

Lat week, France held the first round of parliamentary election, however, none side managed to gain over 50 percent of votes, that is why the second round will take place. Centrist La Republique en Marche party (REM), founded by President Emmanuel Macron, came in first with 28.21 percent of the votes. The right-wing Republicans gained 15.77 percent, while National Front had 13.2 percent and the left-wing La France Insoumise got 11.02 percent. The previously ruling Socialist Party got 7.44 percent.

Polls now suggest that REM is poised to get some 430 seats in France's 577-seat parliament after the second round, while The Republicans could dip as low as 85 seats and the Socialists to between 20 and 35 seats. </s> Official results will be released gradually as counting progresses through the night

Polling stations have opened in France for the second round of parliamentary elections.

Macron’s Republic on the Move party, known as En Marche! (LREM) and its centrist allies secured 32 percent of the vote in the first round last week and are tipped to gain between 440 and 470 seats in the National Assembly’s 577-seat chamber – more than the 289 necessary for an absolute majority.

The victory for LREM, which was launched by Macron less than a year ago, is considered a slap to mainstream parties.

The conservative Republicans are expected to be the biggest opposition group in parliament, with pollsters forecasting between 80 and 132 seats for them.

The Socialist Party, which ruled France until last month, and its allies are projected to win 20 to 30 seats less than its current 277.

The election also spells trouble for Marine Le Pen’s National Front (FN), seen with only between one and six seats when earlier it had hoped to secure a “massive” presence in parliament.

“You cannot leave the prospects for the assembly as they stand – our country needs an opposition to function,” Le Pen has said.

In a sign of voter fatigue after two primaries and a long presidential campaign, turnout is expected to be low on Sunday.

“People couldn’t care less about voting, what’s the point?,” said one voter. “MPs do nothing except get paid well”

Parties, including the Conservatives, Socialists and National Front, are urging their supporters to vote in greater numbers to try and force a coalition.

‘Politicians don’t like coalitions but French people like the idea of forcing different politicians to work together. Fabrice D’Almeida, a French historian, stated.

“I don’t think we’ll see a coalition this time but in the past it was a situation that worked.”

Voting will continue until 6pm (16:00 GMT) across France and 8 pm in major cities, with polling companies due to give estimates of the outcome shortly after polls close. </s> France begins voting in second round of parliamentary election

Voting stations opened in France on Sunday for the second round of parliamentary elections, with opinion polls indicating President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party likely to win a massive majority in the lower house, Reuters reported.

Turnout could fall to a record low, in a sign of voter fatigue after seven months of roller-coaster campaigning and voting, and of disillusionment with politics that could complicate Macron's reform drive. </s> Paris, Jan 23 (IANS) About 1 million left-wing French voters on Sunday headed to polling stations to cast ballots in a presidential primary, organisers said.

Based on account of 70 per cent of 7,534 polling sites, one million had voted by 5.00 p.m. (1600 GMT) against 1.5 million at the same time in the first round in 2011, Xinhua news agency reported.

Seven candidates are competing to win the conservative ticket to challenge for the upcoming two-round French presidential election scheduled for April 23 and May 7.

According to pollsters, the primary will be a three-horse race among former Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his main rivals Arnaund Montebourg and Benoit Hamon, both former ministers in his government in 2014.

Marred by record low popularity of the Socialist President Francois Hollande and growing public discontent over the government’s controversial reforms, no left-wing candidate will pass to presidential run-off, pollsters said.

The top two winners of the first round of the primary will compete in the second round of the primary next Sunday, unless one of the seven contenders collects more than 50 per cent of the votes in the first round and will directly be nominated as the presidential candidate.

The primary is the second such competition held by the Socialist Party and allies. In 2011, the Socialist Party had opened a two-round contest to all registered voters regardless their political view as long as they share the left-wing values and donate 1 euro ($1.069). </s> Voters cast their ballots in the 2nd round of French legislative elections today. (AFP Photo) </s> French voters went back to the polls on Sunday for the first round of parliamentary elections that are tipped to give President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party a commanding majority. Polling stations opened across France at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) and voting continued in the largest cities until 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) with exit polls released immediately afterwards. Macron has enjoyed a smooth start in the five weeks since he beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen to become France’s youngest-ever president, naming a cabinet that crosses left-right lines and making a big impression at international summits. His untested Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM) party, which he only founded in April 2016, now needs a clear majority in the National Assembly for him to push through the reforms he has promised. A host of opinion polls show Macron’s party taking around 30 percent of the vote on Sunday, putting it in pole position to secure a landslide in the second round next Sunday. Some predictions show REM could take around 400 seats in the 577-seat chamber.—AFP </s> (CNN) Polls have opened Sunday for France's legislative elections and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party is projected to win a huge majority in Parliament.

Such a margin of victory in the 577-seat house would give Macron, a pro-European centrist, the majority he craves to further his political revolution and would inflict a further blow on the country's traditional ruling parties.

Macron's party, founded just a year ago, won on the first-round of elections on June 11 with less than half of eligible voters going to the polls. Nonetheless, it represented a remarkable achievement for Macron, who won the French presidency last month without the support of a traditional mainstream party.

Instead, his En Marche! movement helped carry him to a convincing election victory over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

The final results of the legislative elections will be confirmed after Sunday's second round of voting.

To win a seat outright in the first round of voting, candidates had to win more than half of the votes, which must account for at least a quarter of the registered voters.

If no single candidate managed to achieve that target, then all candidates who won at least 12.5% of registered voters advanced to the second round.

The winner from the second round will then advance to Parliament.

The novice La Republique En Marche party and its allies -- Mouvement Démocrate (MoDem) -- won a combined 32.3% of the vote in the election's first round. The established Les Républicains trailed with 15.8% of the vote.

Both the Republican and Socialist parties, which have traditionally governed during the time of the Fifth Republic, struggled with turnout.

Le Pen's right wing Front National party garnered 13.2% of the vote last Sunday and is expected to take between one and four seats. Jean-Luc Mélenchon's far-left party will likely claim between 10-20 seats after accounting for 11% of the vote in the first round.

The newly-elected president is leading a country suffering from high unemployment, a stagnant economy and security worries.

Macron is hoping to carry out the far-reaching reforms he promised during his campaign but first he needs a majority in Parliament. </s> Paris, Jan 22 (IANS) The first round of France’s Left primary kicked off on Sunday morning with the competition to be a three-horse race among former Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his main rivals Arnaund Montebourg and Benoit Hamon, both former ministers in his government in 2014.

About two million voters are expected to cast their ballots in 7,530 poll stations across the country from 9.00 to 19.00 (local time) to pick a presidential nominee, Xinhua news agency reported.

Valls, a centrist politician, who is seeking to attract middle ground voters, has been the polls’ favourite to snatch the left ticket. However, the race is tightening in its final days.

Montebourg and Hamon who quit the government to protest their pro-liberal policy, are gaining momentum days before the vote. The three leading candidates are almost neck-and-neck with the result remaining unpredictable.

A recent poll showed Valls coming the first in the first round with 32 per cent of the vote against Hamon’s 27 per cent and Montebourg’s 26 per cent.

Two of the seven contenders who will garner the highest vote in the first round will meet in a head-to-head context next Sunday.

Casting his ballot in Every, southeastern Paris, Valls called on the French people to massively turn to poll stations. “It is the French who must decide.”

Montebourg, a former economy minister, said before casting his ballot that he asked for a “strong mandate to be able to bring the Left together”.

Hamon, who’s gaining momentum unexpectedly, also called for a high turnout of voters, saying “if the turnout is high, it will give legitimacy to the one who will be elected”.

The Socialists and the broader Left, which has dominated France’s political landscape for decades, was weakened due to high unemployment and rising security concerns in the five years in power.
Voters in France return to the polls for the second round of a legislative election, with 573 of 577 seats in the National Assembly yet to be decided after the first round.