Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp and a left-wing alliance were battling Monday to prevent the far right from taking an absolute majority and control of France's government, after the president's gamble on early parliamentary elections backfired.
The far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen won a resounding victory in the first round of voting on Sunday, with Macron's centrists trailing in third place behind the left-wing New Popular Front.
Le Pen has urged voters to give the National Rally an absolute majority during a second round of voting on July 7, which would see the party's 28-year-old chief Jordan Bardella become prime minister.