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Here Are the Key Players in France’s Election

France has been governed for the past seven years by President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist government. The vote on Sunday has turned into a race between the two main opponents of Mr. Macron’s Renaissance party: the far-right National Rally, which has surged in popularity, and a newly formed coalition of the country’s left-wing parties.

Mr. Macron called the snap legislative election last month after the National Rally trounced his party in European Parliament elections. The surprising decision sent the country into a three-week campaigning frenzy before the first round of voting last Sunday. That vote only settled 76 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly. The rest will be determined in the runoff on Sunday.

Here’s a look at the key players in the runoff election.

Renaissance

Gabriel Attal, center, the French prime minister, at a campaign event in Senlis, France, last week.Credit…Benoit Tessier/Reuters

This is Mr. Macron’s party, which up until the election held the most seats in the National Assembly together with its allies — though for the past two years, it has not had an absolute majority. Its election campaign has been led by the prime minister, Gabriel Attal, who has essentially run on the government’s record — lowering taxes and unemployment, tightening immigration rules and maintaining strong support for the European Union and Ukrainian defense. Renaissance and its allies came in a distant third in the first round, and are projected to lose many seats in Sunday’s election.

National Rally

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, and the party’s president, Jordan Bardella, at a rally in Marseille in March.Credit…Christophe Simon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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