French voters went to the polls on Sunday in the second round of parliamentary elections, as President Emmanuel Macron’s newly-established party is on its way to taking over the French Lower House.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) and will close between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

Macron’s Republic on the Move (REM) and its allies are tipped to win 400-470 seats in the 577-strong parliament, one of the biggest margins of victory in decades.
Winning the majority in the parliament would pave the way for Macron to pursue his social and economic policies more comfortably.

The French president plans to change labor laws, downsize the public sector, and invest the money freed in areas such as job training and renewable energy.
Rival parties have pleaded with voters to stop Macron’s party from gaining a crushing absolute majority in the parliament. They have called on voters to allow a strong opposition to take root in the parliament.

Les Républicains are expected to be the biggest opposition group in parliament. Polls predict, however, that the party will secure no more than 90-95 seats, down from the 199 it currently holds.

The Socialist party, which holds 284 of the 577 seats, is expecting embarrassment following Francois Hollande’s not-so-popular presidency.

Source: Agencies