Will the far-right get in? France begins voting in monumental election

Voting in the first round of the French general election got under way on Sunday.

The far-right National Rally are aiming to be the first time the populist party to win a national election, with the left-wing coalition the New Popular Front and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Together alliance desperate for support.

Polls opened at 0600 GMT and will close at 1600 GMT in small towns and cities, with an 1800 GMT finish in the bigger cities, when the first exit polls for the night and seat projections for the decisive second round a week later are expected.

The populist party's leader is 28-year-old Jordan Bardella. He will become the youngest prime minister in French history if the party wins an outright majority - and is planning what he calls a "big bang" in security and authority.

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"I will never accept that fear and violence have the last word on the streets," said Bardella.

"I will be the prime minister who will put authority back at the heart of public action, who will act to keep predators at bay and protect every French citizen, especially women or representatives of the state."

Critics say the National Rally manifesto is made up of U-turns, and economic policies that endanger French fiscal stability.

One of the National Rally's headline pledges - exempting the under-30s from paying income tax - has been quietly dropped.

So has the planned dismantling of working wind turbines that National Rally's defacto leader Marine Le Pen supported in the last presidential election.

Unexpected election

French President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation earlier this month when he called a snap election following his party's defeat by the National Rally in the EU Parliament ballot.

Macron's MPs are arguing for financial common sense, saying they are the moderate center standing against extremes on both sides.

The French president has also warned of the possibility of a 'civil war' if the far left or far-right come to power in France. He has accused both camps of stoking tensions with divisive policies.

The Socialists, Greens, Communists, and far-left France Unbowed have come together for the election to form the leftist New Popular Front. They promise to fund new welfare handouts to deal with the cost-of-living crisis via new taxes on the rich and big business.

"There is a lot of idle, unproductive money in our country, and so we are immediately reintroducing a wealth tax with a climate component worth 15 billion euros," said Socialist senator Alexandre Ouizille.

"Above all, we are putting in place the tax on super profits that we have called for every year in parliament, and which will also bring in 15 billion euros. "

On Sunday, the economy, immigration, plans and promises on health and education will be on the minds of millions of voters casting their ballots in what's been described as France's most consequential election since the 1950s.

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