Midday turnout at 25.9% in France's early parliament election

The turnout rate in France's early legislative election stood at 25.9% as of noon on Sunday, according to official sources.

The rate is significantly higher than the midday figure in 2022, when it was just 18.43%.

The increase indicates renewed interest among French voters in legislative polls, driven notably by a surge of the far right, led by politicians Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.

More than 49.3 million people are registered to vote in this election, with at least 2 million expected to vote by proxy, according to the latest figures updated the day before the elections.

A total of 4,009 candidates are running in the two-round elections, spread across 577 constituencies of one seat each.

"Voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., but this can be extended or delayed by prefectural decree. In major cities, polls often remain open until 8 p.m.," said the Interior and Overseas Territories Ministry.