Polling stations in France opened today, Sunday, for the first round of historic legislative elections that could bring the far-right to power in a week. Polling stations opened at 8:00 AM (6:00 AM GMT) following the start of voting in French overseas territories on Saturday, with expectations that voter turnout could reach 67 percent of registered voters. Polling stations will close at 4:00 PM GMT in small towns and cities, while they will close at 6:00 PM GMT in major cities, where the first exit polls are expected to be announced after voters leave polling stations, along with predictions for the seats in the decisive second round a week later.
### The Electoral System
The electoral system in France makes it difficult to accurately estimate the distribution of seats in the National Assembly, which consists of 577 seats, and the final result will not be known until voting concludes on July 7. Candidates can be elected in the first round if they secure an absolute majority of votes in their electoral district, but this is rare. Most electoral districts will require a second round that includes all candidates who received at least 12.5 percent of registered voters' votes in the first round, with the candidate receiving the highest number of votes winning.
For decades, as the far-right has steadily gained popularity, voters and parties that do not support it have united against it when they believed it was nearing power in the country. However, this may not happen this time.
