Voter turnout falls sharply in second round

Voter turnout in the second round of France’s parliamentary election is sharply down on the last vote five years ago, official statistics show.

Turnout was 35.3% at 17:00 local time (16:00 BST) on Sunday, down from 46.42% at the same time in the 2012 election. The second-round vote is a run-off between the top candidates from last Sunday’s first round.

President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to obtain a strong mandate in parliament to help him pursue his reform plans.

His La République en Marche (Republic on the Move or LREM) with its MoDem allies is expected to win most seats.

Traditional parties are urging voters to back Mr Macron’s rivals to stop a monopolisation of power.

President Macron formed his party just over a year ago, and half of its candidates have little or no political experience.

They include a retired bullfighter, a Rwandan refugee and a mathematician.

A party needs 289 seats to control the 577-seat National Assembly. LREM is predicted to win more than 400.