Macron marches to clear majority in French parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party swept to a large majority in parliamentary elections on June 18, although it fell short of a predicted landslide.

Macron's year-old Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM) and their allies won 351 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, final results showed after the second round of an election which has eliminated many high-profile figures.
 
The party Macron founded just 16 months ago has re-drawn the French political map, although the winning score was considerably lower than the 470 seats predicted by some pre-vote surveys.
 
But it gives the 39-year-old president one of France's biggest post-war majorities, strengthening his hand in implementing his programme of business-friendly reforms.
 
"A year ago, no-one would have imagined such a political renewal," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.
 
"It is down to the president's desire to breathe new life into democracy and to the French people who wanted to give parliament a new face."  

Macron's success was tempered by a record low turnout of just under 44 percent, leading his opponents to claim he had no groundswell of support.
         
REM routed the Socialists and heavily defeated the rightwing Republicans, while the far-right National Front (FN) of Marine Le Pen -- whom Macron defeated in the presidential run-off on May 7 -- had a disappointing night.
 
Le Pen entered parliament for the first time in her career in one of at least eight seats won by the FN, but the party fell well short of its 15-seat target.
 
Le Pen's victory in the northern former coalmining town of Henin-Beaumont was a rare bright spot for her nationalist and anti-EU party that was once hoping...