High-stakes French election attracts strong turnout – what to watch
French voters went to the polls on Sunday for the first round of snap legislative elections that President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly called this month, a gamble that has thrown the country into deep uncertainty about its future.As of 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, the turnout was 59.39 percent, the Interior Ministry said. That's much higher than in the previous legislative election in 2022, when turnout over the same period was just 39.42 percent, demonstrating intense interest in a vote that will determine the future of Mr Macron's second term.Voters are choosing their 577 representatives in the National Assembly, the country’s lower and highest house of parliament. A new majority of lawmakers opposed to Mr Macron would force him to appoint a political opponent as prime minister,...