Sunday's strong turnout renews French voter enthusiasm

The Ministry of the Interior in Paris announced that turnout in Sunday's second round of early parliamentary elections in France was 26.63 percent at noon local time, even higher than during the first round.

In the first round of elections, 25.9 percent of French citizens had voted by noon.

The increased turnout indicates voter mobilization - emphasized BFMTV in its first commentary.

These are the first turnout data announced during Sunday's voting. The Ministry will publish the subsequent figures at 5:00 PM, followed by further updates at 9:00 PM, when all polling stations will be closed.

In the first round of elections, candidates from the far-right National Rally (RN) obtained the most votes. In the second round, Marine Le Pen's party aims to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a government.

The elections are held according to a majority system. After the first round, 76 candidates have already secured their seats. In the second round, the French will elect 501 deputies out of about 1100 candidates. In most districts (over 400), the contest will be between two candidates and about 90 - between three.

Polling stations are open from 8:00 AM and will close at 6:00 PM in smaller towns and at 8:00 PM in larger cities, including Paris. After 8:00 PM, exit poll forecasts will be announced. The Ministry will provide the final results on the night from Sunday to Monday.