Early turnout rise suggests voter mobilization in French elections

The Ministry of the Interior in Paris announced that turnout in Sunday's second round of early parliamentary elections in France was 26.63% at noon, even higher than during the first round.

In the first round of elections, 25.9% of French citizens had voted by noon.

The increased turnout indicates voter mobilization - emphasized BFMTV in its first commentary.

These are the first turnout data announced during Sunday's voting.

In the first round of elections, candidates from the far-right National Rally (RN) obtained the most votes. In the second round, Marine Le Pen's party aims to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a government.

The elections are held according to a majority system. After the first round, 76 candidates have already secured their seats. The French will elect 501 deputies out of about 1,100 candidates in the second round. In most districts (over 400), the contest will be between two candidates, and in about 90—between three.

Polling stations are open from 7 AM GMT and will close at 5 PM GMT in smaller towns and at 7 PM GMT in larger cities, including Paris. After 7 PM GMT, exit poll forecasts will be announced. The Ministry will provide the final results at night from Sunday to Monday.