France is heading to the ballot box today in one of its most significant elections in years, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party hoping for a historic victory.
Opinion polls are forecasting that the National Rally (RN) will win most of the votes but fall short of a majority - plunging the country into a chaotic hung parliament weeks for the Paris Olympic Games.
It is the first time the French far-right have had a realistic chance of taking control of the National Assembly following their victory in the first-round of the snap elections.
After the shock result, centrist and leftist parties joined forces in a bid to hinder the anti-immigration party’s chances.
President Emmanuel Macron called the vote four weeks ago in response to the RN’s victory in the European election but now faces the possibility of his authority being severely dented.
Voting began across France at 8am local time and exit polls are expected 12 hours later. Le Pen and the RN’s leader Jordan Bardella need a 289-seat majority to allow them to claim the prime minister’s job.