FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Referees taking stricter action on tactical fouls drove a spike in yellow cards shown at the European Championship, UEFA’s head of match officials said Friday.
A crackdown on backchat to the referee — including a booking for Cristiano Ronaldo — also pushed up the number of yellow cards to 166 shown during the 36 group-stage games, compared to 98 at the same stage of the previous edition.
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Referees taking stricter action on tactical fouls drove a spike in yellow cards shown at the European Championship, UEFA’s head of match officials said Friday.
Kylian Mbappe of France sits on the pitch, hand over his bloody nose, as the referee holds the yellow card, during a Group D match between Austria and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday, June 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Scotland's Stuart Armstrong, left, and Hungary's Willi Orban, right, challenge for the ball during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Poland's Robert Lewandowski, left, scores on a penalty kick during a Group D match between France and Poland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo receives a yellow card from referee Sandro Schärer during a Group F match between Georgia and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands, right, protest to the referee Anthony Taylor of England, after a goal scored by a teammate was disallowed during a Group D match between the Netherlands and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mathias Schrader)
German referee Daniel Siebert shows the yellow card to Romania's head coach Edward Iordanescu during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Referee Anthony Taylor of England, left, pulls out a yellow card, after a foul play against Antoine Griezmann of France, right, by Jerdy Schouten of the Netherlands during a Group D match between the Netherlands and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mathias Schrader)
Tactical fouls break up a fast counter by the opposition by committing an offense to force the referee to stop play.
The tactic has been associated with Fernandinho, the former Brazil and Manchester City midfielder, whose defensive duties and willingness to foul opponents allowed more teammates to commit to attack.
“It’s about yellow cards for stopping a promising attack,” UEFA managing director of referee Robeto Rosetti told reporters at an online briefing. “Referees are more alert about this kind of tactical fouls.”
Rosetti said 35 yellow cards were shown for tactical fouls during the group stage in Germany, a more than four-fold increase on eight at the same stage of Euro 2020.
The overall rate of yellow cards stands at 4.6 per game compared to 2.7 at the last tournament.
UEFA promised to show yellow cards to players who defied a pre-tournament order that only captains should approach the referee to debate a decision. UEFA wanted to avoid teams mobbing and trying to intimidate match officials.
So far, there have been 19 yellow cards for dissent compared to 10 at the Euro 2020 group stage. A slew of 18 yellow cards in the Czech Republic-Turkey game that closed the group stage Wednesday evening also raised the average.
Rosetti showed video clips of referees gesturing with an extended arm and hand raised to warn players to back off if they seemed ready to dispute a decision.
“It is a new gesture — strong, proactive. This says: ‘Don’t come.’” said Rosetti, an Italian former referee whose own career peaked when handling the Euro 2008 final.
Feedback from players, Rosetti said, suggested the new strict stance on debating with the referee is “extremely positive for football” and would help educate the next generation in showing more respect.
Quizzed about specific decisions at games, Rosetti said the English match officials were right to disallow a Netherlands goal because France goalkeeper Mike Maignan was impeded by Denzel Dumfries standing offside.
The game ended 0-0 and both coaches, Ronald Koeman and Didier Deschamps, said the video review of at least two minutes took too long.
“The element of improvement is the duration of the review. It can be less,” Rosetti acknowledged, though adding: “Always we support accuracy.”
In the next France game, Maignan saved a penalty by Robert Lewandowski that was ordered retaken because he was lured into encroaching off his line by the Poland captain’s stop-start, stutter-step approach.
“According to the laws of the game, the penalty is taken in the correct way,” the UEFA official said of Lewandowski's tactic.
Rosetti was visibly agitated by a series of questions from British media about Scotland not being awarded a penalty late on against Hungary when the score was 0-0 and both teams needed a win. Hungary later scored in the 10th minute of stoppage time but both were still eliminated.
“You are insisting, yeah?” Rosetti said. “Italian journalists are also very, very aggressive.”
He explained the video assistant’s review concluded no penalty should be given because “the attacker changed direction toward the defender. In his opinion it was just a physical contact trying to challenge the defender.”
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
referee François Letexier of France, right, has a word with Croatia's head coach Zlatko Dalic during a Group B match between Croatia and Albania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
Kylian Mbappe of France sits on the pitch, hand over his bloody nose, as the referee holds the yellow card, during a Group D match between Austria and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday, June 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Scotland's Stuart Armstrong, left, and Hungary's Willi Orban, right, challenge for the ball during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Poland's Robert Lewandowski, left, scores on a penalty kick during a Group D match between France and Poland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo receives a yellow card from referee Sandro Schärer during a Group F match between Georgia and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands, right, protest to the referee Anthony Taylor of England, after a goal scored by a teammate was disallowed during a Group D match between the Netherlands and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mathias Schrader)
German referee Daniel Siebert shows the yellow card to Romania's head coach Edward Iordanescu during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Referee Anthony Taylor of England, left, pulls out a yellow card, after a foul play against Antoine Griezmann of France, right, by Jerdy Schouten of the Netherlands during a Group D match between the Netherlands and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mathias Schrader)
PARIS (AP) — The far-right National Rally leaped into a strong lead Sunday in France's first round of legislative elections, polling agencies projected, bringing the party closer to being able to form a government in round two and dealing a major slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron and his risky decision to call the surprise ballot.
When he dissolved the National Assembly on June 9, after a stinging defeat at the hands of the National Rally in French voting for the European Parliament, Macron gambled that the anti-immigration party with historical links to antisemitism wouldn't repeat that success when France's own fate was in the balance.
But it didn't work out that way. With French polling agencies projecting that the National Rally and its allies got about one-third of the national vote on Sunday, Macron's prime minister warned that France could end up with its first far-right government since World War II if voters don't come together to thwart that scenario in round two next Sunday.
“The extreme right is at the doors of power,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said. He twice described National Rally policy pledges as “disastrous” and said that in the second-round ballot, “not one vote should go to the National Rally. France does not deserve that."
French polling agencies' projections put Macron’s grouping of centrist parties a distant third in the first-round ballot, behind both the National Rally and a new left-wing coalition of parties that joined forces to keep it from winning power.
Securing a parliamentary majority would enable National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to install her 28-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, as prime minister and would crown her yearslong rebranding effort to make her party less repellent to mainstream voters. She inherited the party, then called the National Front, from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who has multiple convictions for racist and antisemitic hate speech.
Still, the National Rally isn’t there yet. With another torrid week of campaigning to come before the decisive final voting next Sunday, the election’s ultimate outcome remains uncertain.
Addressing a jubilant crowd waving French tricolor flags of blue, white and red, Le Pen called on her supporters and voters who didn't back her party in the first round to push it over the line and give it a commanding legislative majority. That scenario would force Bardella and Macron into an awkward power-sharing arrangement. Macron, first elected in 2017, has said he will not step down before his second term expires in 2027.
“The French have almost wiped out the ‘Macronist’ bloc,” Le Pen said. The results, she added, showed voters’ “willingness to turn the page after 7 years of contemptuous and corrosive power.”
Early official results showed some remarkable far-right successes. Le Pen herself was one of six National Rally candidates that won their races outright in the Pas-de-Calais, a once heavily industrialized region of northern France, securing more than 50% of the vote in their districts on Sunday, meaning they won't face a second-round ballot. National Rally candidates were also ahead in all of the region's six other districts heading into round two.
In Le Pen's district, 54-year-old voter Magali Quere said she used to find the far right scary "but not anymore.”
Only the second round will make clear whether Le Pen’s party and its allies get the absolute majority they would need to comfortably form a government and then start to implement their promises to dismantle many of Macron's key policies and foreign policy platforms. That would include stopping French deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine in the war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. The National Rally has historical ties to Russia.
The far right's more confrontational approach to the European Union, its plans to roll back Macron's pension reforms and National Rally promises to boost voters' spending power without clearly detailing how it would pay for the pledge could also spook European financial markets.
National Rally opponents fear for civil liberties if it takes power. Macron himself warned that the far right could set France on a path to civil war. Its plans to boost police powers and curb immigration also alarm many, including minorities. The National Rally has long been hostile toward France’s Muslim community.
"People don’t understand that this will impact us for years and years. This is a France of hate that is growing, not a France of solidarity and union,” said Cynthia Fefoheio, a 19-year-old political science student who was among thousands of people who gathered Sunday night at Paris’ République plaza to protest the National Rally.
Some polling agency projections indicated that in a best-case scenario for the far right, the National Rally and its allies could collectively clear the bar of 289 seats needed for a secure majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
But it might also fall short and no single bloc may end up with a clear majority, polling agencies projected. Predictions are difficult because of the two-round voting system.
Already on Sunday night, the far-right's opponents were strategizing how to concentrate votes against the National Rally in round two, planning in some districts to pull their candidates out to increase the chances of another candidate beating a far-right rival.
The high turnout — at least 66%, according to polling estimates — reversed nearly three decades of tumbling voter interest for the first round of legislative elections in France. That so many people voted, especially as many are preparing to start or have already started traditional summer vacations, showed how the quick campaign and its high stakes galvanized the electorate. Many voters saw an opportunity to impose a government on Macron, to reprimand his presidency and force a change in course.
Many voters are frustrated with inflation and other economic concerns, as well as with Macron. The National Rally tapped that discontent, notably via online platforms such as TikTok. It campaigned heavily on the rising cost of living and immigration. The campaign was marred by rising hate speech.
“People don't like what has been happening,” said Cynthia Justine, 44. “People feel they've lost a lot in recent years. People are angry. I am angry.”
“Because I am a Black woman, it's even more important. A lot is at stake on this day," she added.
The National Rally has questioned the right to citizenship for people born in France, and it wants to curtail the rights of French citizens with dual nationality. Critics say that undermines human rights and is a threat to France’s democratic ideals.
At the election celebration in Le Pen's stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, 41-year-old Edouard Guillebot said the far right's success had been a long time coming.
“This is a revenge of the people against the elites, in the media and politics,” he said. “I am of those who have voted for everyone. They lied to us by telling us immigration was a chance for the country.”
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Associated Press writers Barbara Surk in Nice, France, and Diane Jeantet in Henin-Beaumont, France, contributed to this report.
Follow AP's coverage of elections at https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections
French far right leader Marine Le Pen smiles after delivering her speech after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen gestures after delivering her speech after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen looks on after delivering her speech after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Supporters of French far right leader Marine Le Pen react after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen delivers her speech after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Far-right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella delivers his speech after the first round vote of the legislative election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies' projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron after his risky decision to call voters back to the polls for the second time in three weeks. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Far-right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella arrives to deliver his speech after the first round vote of the legislative election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies' projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron after his risky decision to call voters back to the polls for the second time in three weeks. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Local far-right mayor Steeve Briois, left, reacts after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People gather in Lyon, central France, to protest the far-right National Rally, which came out strongly ahead in first-round legislative elections, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
People gather in Lyon, central France, to protest the far-right National Rally, which came out strongly ahead in first-round legislative elections, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
People gather at Republique square to protest the far-right National Rally, which came out strongly ahead in first-round legislative elections, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People gather at Republique square to protest the far-right National Rally, which came out strongly ahead in first-round legislative elections, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen reacts as she meets supporters and journalists after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen reacts as she meets supporters and journalists after the release of projections based on the actual vote count in select constituencies , Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. French voters propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections Sunday and plunged the country into political uncertainty, according to polling projections. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booth before voting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
Far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon exits the voting booth before voting, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Paris. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Voters at a polling station in the first round of the French parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A voter casts their ballot at a polling station for the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
People stand in voting booths at a polling station for the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
French President Emmanuel Macron takes a selfie with supporters after voting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
A voter leaves a booth at a pooling station to vote in the first round of the French parliamentary election, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron enter the voting booth before voting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
Two people ride a bicycle in front of an electoral panel in Rennes, western France, Sunday June 30, 2024.France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election on Sunday that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II.The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booth before voting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
People queue to vote in Strasbourg, eastern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France began casting ballots Sunday in the first round of exceptional parliamentary election that could put France's government in the hands of nationalist, far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome of the two-round election, which will wrap up July 7, could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France's nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
A voter arrives at a polling station to vote in the first round of the French parliamentary election, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Voters wait at a polling station to vote in the first round of the French parliamentary election, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A voter casts a ballot at a polling station for the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A voter casts a ballot at a polling station for the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A voter casts a ballot at a polling station for the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, Sunday June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A voter casts his ballot in the first round of the legislative election in Vanves, outside Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Voters wait at a polling station to vote in the first round of the French parliamentary election, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal shakes hands to a resident after voting for the first round of parliamentary elections in Vanves, outside Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal casts his vote in the first round of parliamentary elections in Vanves, outside Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (Arnaud Finistre, Pool via AP)
Far-right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella arrives to vote Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Garches, outside Paris. Voters across mainland France began casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election that could put France's government in the hands of nationalist, far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome of the two-round election, which will wrap up July 7, could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine, and how France's nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A voter stands in the voting booth during the first round of the legislative election in Vanves, outside Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen casts her ballot for the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen casts her ballot for the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen arrives to vote, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen, center, leaves after voting in the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen, center, with local mayor Steeve Briois, left, leave after voting in the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal prepares to cast his ballot in the first round of parliamentary elections in Vanves, outside Paris, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (Arnaud Finistre, Pool via AP)
Elderly people talk at the voting station Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen arrives to vote, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen leaves after voting in the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen, right, casts her ballot for the first round of the parliamentary election, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French President Emmanuel Macron kisses a man's head as he arrives at a polling station to to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he arrives at a polling station to to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron greets residents as he arrives at a polling station to to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
A person adjusts voting envelopes in Strasbourg, eastern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election on Sunday that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
A person votes in Strasbourg, eastern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election on Sunday that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
A woman votes in Strasbourg, eastern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election on Sunday that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
French President Emmanuel Macron greets residents as he arrives at a polling station to to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary elections, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, casts his ballot to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary election, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
Far-right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella poses for a selfie after voting Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Garches, outside Paris. Voters across mainland France began casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election that could put France's government in the hands of nationalist, far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome of the two-round election, which will wrap up July 7, could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine, and how France's nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, casts his ballot to vote in the first round of the early French parliamentary election, in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
French far right leader Marine Le Pen arrives to vote, Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. France is holding the first round of an early parliamentary election that could bring the country's first far-right government since Nazi occupation during World War II. The second round is on July 7, and the outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A woman walks past campaign boards for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Paris, Thursday June 27, 2024. Voters will choose lawmakers for the National Assembly in two rounds on June 30 and July 7. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
People gather on the Republique Plaza during a rally in Paris, Thursday June 27, 2024. Anti-racism groups joined French unions and left-wing coalition in protests against the surging nationalist far right as French President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections following the defeat of his centrist alliance at European Union elections earlier this month. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
FILE - Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Front party, arrives at the Eurosatory Defense and security exhibition, Wednesday, June 19, 2024 in Villepinte, north of Paris. The perspective of a defeat in parliamentary elections mean he may have to share power with a prime minister from rival political party — that could possibly be far-right National Rally's president Jordan Bardella. Macron defeated twice the National Rally's leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, both in 2017 and 2022.( AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron, right, meets French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) leader Marine Le Pen at the Elysee Palace on June 21, 2022 in Paris. The perspective of a defeat in parliamentary elections mean he may have to share power with a prime minister from rival political party — that could possibly be far-right National Rally's president Jordan Bardella. Macron defeated twice the National Rally's leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, both in 2017 and 2022. (Ludovic Marin/Pool photo via AP, File)
