Macron camp crushes competition as overseas French voters cast first legislative votes
Source: France24
2017-06-06
Over the weekend, French nationals living abroad cast their ballots in critical legislative elections, going to the polls a week earlier than their compatriots back home. First-round results from the 11 foreign districts races showed landslide support for Emmanuel Macrons La Rpublique en marche (LREM).
With some LREM candidates scoring more than 50 percent of votes cast -- some even upwards of 60 percent -- and well-known incumbents floundering well behind newcomer challengers, the fledgling LREMs impressive results reaffirm the massive support Macron received among French voters based abroad in Frances presidential elections just weeks ago. Then, Macron scored 40 percent among these same voters in the presidential first round on April 23 and 93 percent in his final run-off duel against Marine Le Pen on May 7.
Nationally, pollsters say Macron is on pace to win an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections this month. Voters on French soil will go to the ballot box for the first round on Sunday.
Low voter turnout over the weekend only 19.1 percent means no LREM candidate won a lawmakers seat outright in the lower-house National Assembly in the first round of these legislative election. Overseas voters will be called to the polls again on June 18 to decide the 11 contests. The first round vote for French nationals abroad was moved up by a week in order to give the finalists more time to campaign before the June 18 final vote in foreign districts that often span several countries. But Macrons massive first-round support abroad leaves little suspense as to the ultimate result.
Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20170606-france-legislative-election-2017-macron-camp-crushes-competition-voters-abroad
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