New French president close to winning majority in Parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron’s Republic on the Move party is on track to win a majority in the parliamentary elections despite record low voter turnout. The party received 28 percent of votes during the first round of voting Sunday. France’s mainstream conservative party received 16 percent of the votes, while Marine Le Pen’s far right National Front earned 13 percent. Less than half of registered voters turned out for the elections, but the results could give Macron’s newly formed centrist party more than 400 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly—an unprecedented win. The expected Parliament majority would provide Macron the chance to push his plans to loosen France’s labor laws, among other reforms. The second round of voting is set to take place next Sunday.

We Sift the news so you don’t have to.