AFP-JIJI ¨C Emmanuel Macron¡¯s centrist camp and a left-wing alliance were battling Monday to prevent the far right from taking an absolute majority and control of France¡¯s government, after the president¡¯s gamble on early parliamentary elections backfired.
The far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen won a resounding victory in the first round of voting on Sunday, with Macron¡¯s centrists trailing in third place behind the left-wing New Popular Front.
Le Pen has urged voters to give the National Rally an absolute majority during a second round of voting on July 7, which would see the party¡¯s 28-year-old chief Jordan Bardella become prime minister.
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