France elections: Le Pen leads in early polls, far-right wins first round; left group protests erupt

France's Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party has taken the lead in the first round of French parliamentary elections, leaving President Emmanuel Macron's party falling to third place, according to the initial projections, reported CNN. The initial estimates by IPSOS put the far-right alliance, headed by the National Rally (RN), in first with 34 per cent of the vote, ahead of the left-wing alliance in second with 28.1 per cent, while Macron's party trails in a distant third with 20.3 per cent. Further, the projections suggested that after the second round of voting next Sunday, the RN would win between 230 and 280 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, falling short of the 289 required for an absolute majority, as reported by CNN.