Election in France: National Rally makes big gains

Key points:

- France holds parliamentary elections on Sunday - Far-right National Rally makes significant gains in first round - Voter turnout is significantly lower than in previous elections

France is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, and the far-right National Rally (RN) has made significant gains in the first round.

The RN, led by Marine Le Pen, won 334 seats in the first round, up from just 8 in the previous election. This is the party's best result in a parliamentary election since 1986.

The incumbent centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron, La République En Marche, won the most seats in the first round but lost ground compared to the 2017 election. The party won 245 seats, down from 350.

Voter turnout was significantly lower than in previous elections, with only 48.7 percent of registered voters casting ballots. This is the lowest turnout in a parliamentary election in France since 1958.