MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. The first round of the early parliamentary election in France showed that the people do not stand behind President Emmanuel Macron or his political course, the vice-speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, said.

"One way or another, the first round turned out to be an obvious vote of no confidence in Macron and his political course," the senator said. "'The Macron era is over,' former President Francois Hollande said on the eve of the vote. The president's resignation, of course, will not follow under any circumstances. However, it is already clear that only one in five French nationals support his policy, Kosachev wrote on his Telegram channel.

He believes that the vote in the first round was largely a protest vote. "The preference for radical forces on the right and left is, above all, a harsh 'reprimand' to Macron from voters who broke a 40-year voter turnout record, which is also an indicator of the French people's engagement in the choice of the country's policy," Kosachev noted.

The politician emphasized that in the first round, the French often vote with their hearts, while in the second round - with their heads, "voting for who they like at the first stage, when stakes are low, and giving their votes to 'the right ones' at the second stage."

"In fact, this is what Macron was betting on, risking a snap election against the background of the striking success of Marine Le Pen’s National Union when the new composition of the European Parliament was voted for. But even taking into account this tradition, the risk this time is very high," the senator believes.

Now, even the Left and the Greens have united for the first time ever, despite the huge differences between the two parties, he pointed out. "However, Macron managed the impossible - to bring together the motley and irreconcilable politicians on the left flank. As a result, the New Popular Front garnered 28%, coming second. And although the left-wing forces are already signaling their readiness to withdraw their candidates in the districts where they came in third in order to keep the far-right from coming out on top, the alliance can fight to get a serious number of seats in the National Assembly," Kosachev said.

At the same time, the deputy speaker noted that the right is gaining ground too. "They have worked on their image and are trying to position themselves as a serious force capable of creating rather than destroying," he said.

About the parliamentary election

France’s far-right National Rally and allied right-wing parties won the first round of a snap legislative election with 33.15% of the vote. The New Popular Front, a left-wing alliance of parties, came in second with 27.99%, while the president’s centrist coalition scored 20.04%.

Voter turnout hit 66.71%, the highest since 2002, Le Parisien reported.

On June 9, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his decision to dissolve the National Assembly and organize early parliamentary elections following the crushing defeat of the presidential Renaissance Party at the elections to the European Parliament. The last time the lower house was dissolved was in 1997 by President Jacques Chirac.