Pollsters Project French Prez Macron’s Party On Course To Dominate Parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pick up ballots before voting in the first round of the two-stage legislative elections in Le Touquet, northern France, Sunday, June 11, 2017. French voters are choosing legislators in the first round of parliamentary elections, with President Emmanuel Macron’s party "Republic on the Move" hoping to win a strong majority in the National Assembly to push through bold labor and security reforms. (Christophe Petit-Tesson/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pick up ballots before voting in the first round of the two-stage legislative elections in Le Touquet, northern France, Sunday, June 11, 2017. French vote... French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pick up ballots before voting in the first round of the two-stage legislative elections in Le Touquet, northern France, Sunday, June 11, 2017. French voters are choosing legislators in the first round of parliamentary elections, with President Emmanuel Macron's party "Republic on the Move" hoping to win a strong majority in the National Assembly to push through bold labor and security reforms. (Christophe Petit-Tesson/Pool Photo via AP) MORE LESS
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PARIS (AP) — Pollsters are projecting that French President Emmanuel Macron’s party is in position to win a crushing parliamentary majority following the first round Sunday of legislative elections marked by widespread voter apathy.

Pollsters’ projected that as many as one-third of votes went to Macron’s camp in the first stage of the two-part election — putting his candidates comfortably ahead of all opponents going into the decisive second round of voting next Sunday for the 577 seats in the lower-house National Assembly.

Pollsters estimated that 400 seats or more could end up in the hands of the Macron camp — and that the opposition in parliament would be fragmented as well as small.

The record-low turnout rate, however, took some shine off the achievement for Macron’s Republic on the Move! — a fledgling party fighting its first-ever election and dedicated to providing France’s youngest-ever president with the legislative majority he needs to be effective and enact his promised program of far-reaching change for France.

Voter rejection of old-style, established politics — already seen in the May 7 presidential vote that handed power to first-time 39-year-old candidate Macron — was again felt in the legislative vote.

Pollsters projected a disastrous result for the Socialists that held power in the last parliament and that the conservative Republicans could end up with fewer than 130 seats.

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Associated Press writers Nicolas Garriga, Phillipe Sotto and Angela Charlton contributed to this report.

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