The French parliament (AFP)

Today, Sunday, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Paris reported that the French left is slightly pulling ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the French legislative elections.

"Macron has lost the majority, and he certainly needs to form coalitions in the parliament," our correspondent said.

According to figures published by the French Ministry of the Interior, after 64% of the votes were counted, Macron's party, "Ensemble!" and the left-wing NUPES alliance led by Jean-Luc Melenchon led the first round of the legislative elections with about 25% of the vote.

Mélenchon: 'The ruling party is defeated'

Mélenchon has just spoken, claiming Macron's camp has been "beaten and defeated." The leader of the Nupes coalition urged voters to "vote massively" in the second round on June 19, adding that his bloc would have candidates in "more than 500 constituencies."

🔴"Coming out of the first round of the #legislatives2022, the #NUPES is leading the charge. It will be leading the charge in 500 constituencies."
Watch the speech of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the NUPES coalition on @France24_en #legislatives2022: https://t.co/p2CFrlcnqg pic.twitter.com/ZdmqYb97Hx
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) June 12, 2022

A law-maker for the French left, Clementine Autain, has claimed huge success for the Nupes bloc.

"A few months ago, the left was supposed to be dead and the far right looked to be at the gates of power. Now we have turned the tables and topped the first round," she said. "Victory is possible," Autain said, estimating that the Nupes would grab around 480 of the total 577 seats next Sunday.

Read more: Macron a "Renaissance" man in the face of parliamentary elections

Mélenchon: 'The ruling party is defeated'

Read more: +60% of French voters against Macron securing majority in Parliament