Horse-trading begins after France's far right wins first round of snap elections

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party has won the first round of France's parliamentary election, although the final result will depend on days of political wheeling and dealing ahead of next Sunday's run-off.

Exit polls on Sunday showed the RN had won around 34 percent of the vote, ahead of the left-wing New Popular Front alliance on 29.1 percent, with President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble (Together) coalition in third place on 22 percent.

The results, if confirmed, are a blow to Macron who came to power in 2017 promising to halt the rise of the far right.

However, the presidential group did better than predicted, improving on the dismal 15 percent it got in the 9 June European Parliament elections, and which prompted Macron todissolve the national assembly and call the snap poll.

In what was seen as a sign of faith in France's democratic institutions, more than 67 percent of the French electorate turned out to vote – a level not seen in nearly four decades.

Thousands of people gathered at Place de la Republique in central Paris on Sunday evening to protest the RN's strong showing.

“We are going towards the extreme," said Cynthia Fefoheio, a 19-year-old political science student. "People don't understand that this will impact us for years and years. This is a France of hate that is growing, not a France of solidarity and union."

A "cohabitation" prime minister

Three polling institutes have predicted RN and its allies could win not only a large relative majority in the National Assembly, but an absolute majority, with between 240 and 310 seats in the 577-seat lower house.

RN founder Marine Le Pen, elected outright in her constituency of Hénin-Beaumont, said the party's victory was "without ambiguity" and showed "a desire to turn the page after seven years of [Macron] in power".

But she also said "nothing is won" and solemnly called on voters to ensure the party be given an absolute majority in next Sunday's run-off so that "Macron will name Jordan Bardella prime minister".

Bardella, the 28-year-old RN party president who has no governing experience, said: "I will be a 'cohabitation' prime minister, respectful of the constitution and of the office of President of the Republic, but uncompromising about the policies we will implement."

He may have been slightly jumping the gun. The composition of France's next parliament is still far from sure and the chances of the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN winning power next Sunday, and “cohabiting” with the pro-EU Macron, will be impacted by whatever deals are struck between other parties in the coming days.

"Not a single vote for the RN"

Under France's two-round electoral system, if no candidate reaches 50 percent in the first round, the top two contenders automatically qualify for the second round, as well as all those with 12.5 percent of registered voters.

Sunday's high turnout has increased the number of constituencies where there may be three or even four parties in the run-off. Pollsters suggest there could be as many as 315 three-way contests, though the picture will not be clear before Tuesday.

In such cases, centre-right and centre-left parties have traditionally teamed up to keep the RN from power in what is known as the “republican front”.

Parties wasted no time on Sunday evening to begin horsetrading.

Just minutes after exit polls were announced at 8:00pm sharp, Macron called on voters to rally behind candidates who are "clearly republican and democratic" in cases where Ensemble was in third place.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal gave clearer instructions. “The extreme right is at the doors of power,” he said. “Not a single vote must go to the National Rally. France does not deserve that.”

He stressed Ensemble could withdraw its candidates in more than 60 constituencies.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, head of NFP's hard-left component said the NFP alliance would withdraw all its candidates who came third in the first round.

"Our guideline is simple and clear: not a single more vote for the National Rally," he said.

(with newswires)