First French projections put hard-right National Rally well ahead in EU election

PARIS (AP) — First projected results from France are putting the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election, according to French opinion poll institutes. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, nationalist party is estimated to get around 31-32% of the votes, more than twice the score of President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-European centrist party that is projected to reach around 15%. France is electing 81 members of the European Parliament. The initial indications are a hard blow for Macron as he tries to lead Europe-wide efforts to defend Ukraine and boost the EU’s own defenses and industry.