International

Polls open for second round of France's snap legislative elections

Polls open in the second and final round of France's snap legislative elections on Sunday with more than 500 seats still up for grabs in the lower-house National Assembly. The vote will also determine France's next prime minister, who will likely come from the party or coalition winning the most seats. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates on the French legislative elections, AFP reports.

French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament and called for snap legislative elections after the far right trounced his centrist alliance in June 9 elections for the European Parliament.

The National Assembly's 577 total MPs are elected for five-year terms in two rounds (June 30 and July 7). Still up for grabs on Sunday are 501 seats after dozens of MPs were elected outright in the first round.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party led after the first round with 33% of the vote, according to interior ministry figures, with the New Popular Front leftist alliance following in second place with almost 28%. President Macron's ruling coalition trailed in third place with 20%.

The second-round voting began Saturday off the Canadian coast in the North Atlantic territory of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and was followed by French territories across the Caribbean, South Pacific and the Indian Ocean along with French voters living abroad.

Initial polling projections are expected when the final voting stations close at 8pm Paris time (1800 GMT), with early official results expected late Sunday and early Monday.

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