France's President Francois Hollande

French President Francois Hollande’s Socialists and their allies are set to gather a majority in the first round of French parliamentary elections, held on June 10.

According to the Interior Ministry, left-wing and green parties won a total of more than 46% of the vote compared to 34% for the centre-right UMP party.

It is expected that the outcome of the polls will determine the extent and pace of reforms that the newly-elected French leaded pledged during his pre-election campaign.

The Socialists and their Green allies might win as few as 283 seats or potentially as many as 347. There are 577 seats in the National Assembly, reports BBC.

The election also saw a surge in support for Marine Le Pen’s far right National Front, which won almost 14% of votes. It is much more than 4% it achieved in the last parliamentary election of 2007.

For those who failed to reach 50%, they need to obtain 12.5 percent in the first round of vote to head to the runoff on June 17.

The turnout nationwide was a modest 57%. This has raised a question why people opt for ignoring the political processes, reports Euro News.

Asked why the apathy, people point out that the current system does not allow for real changes in power and the French political class keeps following the same policy as always.

Similarly, French voters hope that the activities of the new parliament will not contradict with the choice made a month ago because the climate at a European level and above all in France is complicated.

“I expect a lot from the new parliament. I expect it to organise new things for the people, to keep us better informed and to pass legislation a lot more quickly,” says one French citizen.

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