MACRON’S PARTY SEEN WINNING AS FRENCH VOTE IN FINAL ROUND

French voters cast ballots on 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.

Pollsters say that after its dominant performance 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.

If the steamroller effect continues for Macron’s party, half of whose candidates are women and the other half new to politics, France will have a chamber of representatives like few others, fulfilling the president’s wish to renew a political class dominated by career politicians, peppered with corruption and losing credibility. The strong mandate would also give the 39-year-old president a free hand to move fast with promised legislation, notably on changing labour laws to make hiring and firing easier.

That prospect worries both rivals and some voters, and makes the turnout rate critical. A healthy participation rate might dampen the expected victory of Macron’s party.

At midday, turnout appeared to be lagging. The Interior Ministry said just 17.8% of voters had cast ballots, down from 19.2% at the same time during the first round, and 21.4 % at the same time during the second-round voting in the last parliamentary elections in 2012.

Less than half the 47.5 millionstrong electorate turned out to vote last Sunday, a record low that especially punished the once-feared far-right National Front party. AP