PARIS �� Emmanuel Macron's year-old political movement won a large majority in the French parliament Sunday, sweeping aside established parties and giving the newly elected president a mandate to push through his economic agenda, according to pollsters' projections.
Macron's Republic on the Move movement, known as LREM, was on track to win 355 to 425 seats in the 577-member National Assembly, pollsters estimated, based on sampling of initial votes. That's the biggest victory in at least 15 years, though voter turnout was the lowest ever for a French parliamentary election, a sign of the disenfranchisement and frustration that has characterized this year's campaigns.
Macron was elected president in May after creating a centrist political movement that brought together millions of moderates who in the past had backed the Socialists or Republicans. Those two parties dominated French politics for decades but Macron pushed them further to the margins during his first month in office, cementing his popularity with his positions on climate change and economic reform, and poaching some of their leading members for Cabinet positions.
The Republicans are set to form the biggest opposition group, with about 130 seats, while the Socialists could be reduced to fewer than 40 deputies, pollsters said.
"The French wanted to give a clear majority to the president, and it's done. I congratulate him," Republican leader Francois Baroin said. "We have a strong enough group to be heard, to defend our interests and make our differences clear."
Socialist leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis resigned as soon as the polls closed, saying his party had suffered an "unmistakable" defeat and faces a long struggle to rebuild its position.
Marie Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front. won her race in northern France and will take a seat in parliament for the first time. Her party was forecast to win about six seats.
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(Mark Deen contributed to this report.)
