PARIS, June 30. /TASS/. France’s presidential coalition Together for the Republic will withdraw around 60 candidates ahead of the second round of voting in the parliamentary elections in a bid to prevent the victory of the opposition right-wing National Rally Party, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.
"We have made this choice after the first round of voting in more than 60 constituencies. It means that we will withdraw our candidates because if they stay in the third place, a candidate from the National Rally will defeat the other candidate who, like us, would defend the republic’s values," he said.
France held the first round of early parliamentary elections on Sunday. The right-wing National Rally is winning 33% of the vote, the left-wing New Popular Front is scoring 28.5%, and the presidential coalition Together For the Republic has 22%.
On June 9, Macron announced his decision to dissolve the National Assembly, or lower house of France's parliament, and organize early parliamentary elections following the crushing defeat of the presidential Renaissance Party at the elections to the European Parliament, where it (14.6%) was routed by the opposition National Rally Party (31.4%). The last time the lower house was dissolved was in 1997 by President Jacques Chirac.