In pictures: 10 key battles to watch in France’s legislative vote

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In pictures: 10 key battles to watch in France’s legislative vote

France

Text by Romain BRUNET

Latest update : 2017-06-16

There is little doubt French President Emmanuel Macron’s party will obtain an overwhelming majority in Sunday’s legislative vote, but a handful of very close, or very symbolic, races will be the focus of intense scrutiny on election night.

Will third time be a charm for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has failed to win a parliamentary seat in two previous elections? Will the firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon become the hard left’s leading voice at the National Assembly?

Can former French prime minister Manuel Valls save his seat without the backing of either the Socialist Party or Macron’s La République en Marche! (LREM, previously known as ‘En Marche!’) party? Will leading LREM figure Richard Ferrand win his race despite influence-peddling accusations that could become the first major stain of Macron’s tenure?

These are some of the big questions political observers and ordinary voters are asking ahead of France’s second-round legislative election on June 18.

Upstart LREM candidates are expected to win up to four-fifths of seats in parliament, and several established politicians are fighting for their political life. FRANCE 24 takes a look at 10 important legislative election face-offs.

All figures listed below are the candidate’s results for the first round of the legislative elections that were held on June 11.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the runner-up of France’s presidential election, topped the first round (46.02%) in the northern Pas-de-Calais department and is expected to become a first-time MP. © François Lo Presti, AFP
Leftist figurehead Jean-Luc Mélenchon rolled over an incumbent Socialist MP in central Marseille (34.31%) last week, but LREM candidate Corinne Versini (22.66%) still stands between him and a National Assembly seat. © Anne-Christine Poujoulat, AFP
Former PM Manuel Valls jumped the sinking Socialist ship, but LREM has not thrown him a life preserver. Can he keep his first-round advantage (25.45%) in the Paris region versus leftist challenger Farida Amrani (17.61%)? © Geoffroy Van der Hasselt, AFP
Despite claims he once used his influence to secure public contracts for relatives, Macron confidant Richard Ferrand still won the first round (33.93%). He faces conservative Gaëlle Nicolas (18.10%) in western Britany. © Fred Tanneau, AFP
A leading moderate voice among the mainstream Les Républicains conservatives Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (18.13%) will likely be silenced by her LREM challenger Gilles Le Gendre (41.81%) in Paris. © Martin Bureau, AFP
Once touted as a rising Socialist star, former education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem (16.54%) is facing dim election prospects in the Rhone department, where she is battling the LREM’s Bruno Bonnell (36.69%). © Jean-Philippe Ksiazek, AFP
National Front VP Florian Philippot (23.79%) has irked hardliners in the far-right party. His political future could be at stake when he takes on LREM candidate Christophe Arend (22.01%) in the eastern Moselle department. © Jean-Christophe Verghaegen, AFP
Longtime MP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (29.75%) likely regrets backing Le Pen in the presidential election. He could be ejected from his seat representing the Essone department by LREM newcomer Antoine Pavamani (35.76%). © Jacques Demarthon, AFP
Louis Aliot (30.80%) is a National Front boss in the south-west and Marine Le Pen’s boyfriend. If he ekes out a win against centrist Christine Espert (29.11%) he could meet his far-right hubby at the National Assembly. © Raymond Roig, AFP
The only far-right incumbent in France’s parliament, Gilbert Collard (32.27%) is staring down Marie Sara (32.16 %) – a former bullfighter running as an LREM candidate – in the southern Gard department. © Pascal Guyot, AFP