The new election in France

76 candidates already elected – 173 have dropped out

Over half of the 76 candidates who have already secured their mandates in the French parliament belong to the far-right National Assembly, Le Monde's compilation shows. 39 of the party's representatives and 32 of the Left Front received over 50 percent in their constituencies. There will therefore be no second round on Sunday.

In addition, 172 candidates from the left and Macron's Renaissance party have withdrawn with the aim that only one candidate will stand against the National Assembly in each constituency. Dropouts must be announced by 6pm on Tuesday and more are expected, according to Le Figaro.

In 358 constituencies, there are now only two candidates left for the second round. In 140 constituencies three candidates remain, and in two constituencies four.

The National Assembly won 33 percent of the vote in the first round, the Left Alliance 28 percent and Macron's alliance 20 percent, according to preliminary election results.

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Reactions to the French election
The Paris stock market's rally slowed after the election shock

The Paris stock market rose just over 1 percent after the first round of elections has ended in France. The far-right party National Rally led by Marine Le Pen made strong progress, but it is still unclear whether it can get a majority.

If the party does not get a majority, the parliament becomes sluggish, something that reduces uncertainty about where French politics is going. National Assembly has previously announced major investments despite a state budget that is already running a deficit, writes Bloomberg.

Only after the next round on July 7 will it be clear whether the National Assembly gets the absolute majority.

In early trade, the Paris stock market rose almost 3 percent, but lost momentum during the trading day.

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Expert: "If anyone has a voter reserve, it's RN"

An own majority in parliament is clearly within reach of the far-right National Assembly (RN), which received 33 percent of the votes in yesterday's first round. This is what political scientist Luc Rouban tells Francetv Info ahead of the second round on Sunday.

He points to the approximately 10 percent who voted for conservative Republicans. Party leader Eric Ciotti supports National Gathering, but his party is divided on whether to cooperate with the far-right party.

- But I would be surprised if their voters turn to the left to block the RN. If anyone has a voter reserve, it is the RN, says Luc Rouban.

The Left Alliance, with its 28 percent, is a good second, and some observers believe that the party can be overtaken. But a reversal between the first and second round has only happened in a single parliamentary election (1978), states Brice Teinturier at the research company Ipsos.

- It is really difficult to see how it would happen, he tells Francetv Info.
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