Macron on course for ‘absolute majority’ in National Assembly as voters choose MPs

FRENCH VOTERS were choosing MPs yesterday in a crucial vote for newly-elected president Emmanuel Macron.

A total of 7,882 candidates were running for 577 seats in the National Assembly in the first round of the two-stage legislative elections.

Top vote-getters advance to the decisive second round on June 18.

Polls suggest the elections will strongly favour Mr Macron’s party and dramatically shake up French politics, punishing the traditional left and right parties and leaving no single strong opposition force.

Mr Macron’s year-old centrist movement, Republic on the Move, is seeking an absolute majority to be able to implement his campaign promises, which include simplifying labour rules and making it easier to lay off workers in hopes of boosting hiring.

The Government outlined the main themes of a major labour reform that has already angered French unions and is likely to prompt tensions over the summer.

Mr Macron also plans to quickly pass a law to strengthen security measures – effectively making the state of emergency permanent, after multiple Islamic extremist attacks in France – and another one to put more ethics into French politics.

The Government needs a new Assembly in place to vote on the Bills.

Mr Macron called on French voters to give him a “majority to make changes” on the night of his victory on May 7. “That’s what the country wants and that’s what it deserves,” he said.

A minimum of 289 seats is required to secure an absolute majority. According to the latest polls, Mr Macron’s movement appears in a position to win potentially as many as 400 seats.