Leftist bloc set to win French parliament
Exit polls suggest Socialist Party and its allies on course for outright majority in National Assembly
By Sam Mamudi and Robert Daniel, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Reports of exit poll results in Sunday’s French parliamentary election suggest that President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party and its allies are set for a majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Hollande’s party is on course for up to 35% of the vote, roughly the same as ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-of-center UMP. But Hollande’s Green allies are poised for up to 13% of the vote, an outcome that should secure a majority of seats for the leftist bloc, said the BBC.
The Senate is already controlled by left-wing parties, meaning that a majority in the lower house would put Hollande in a strong position to implement his reforms.
Hollande, 57, was elected in May to a five-year term to run France, Europe’s second-largest economy, in the face of the continent’s sovereign-debt crisis. He campaigned on an anti-austerity platform, arguing against the belt-tightening measures supported in particular by Germany and then-French President Sarkozy.
Hollande, who succeeded Sarkozy, wants greater policy-making focus on steps to generate economic growth.
In cases where one candidate doesn’t win at least 50% of the vote for a seat, a runoff round is set for June 17. Any candidate who wins at least 12.5% of the vote participates in the runoff, Associated Press reported.