Le Pen's National Rally (RN) and its allies on the right finished first with 33% of the vote, followed by the leftwing New Popular Front alliance (NFP) with 28%, while President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc came third with 22% of the vote.
Most of the 577 seats in the national assembly will now be decided in a second-round runoff this Sunday.
Rival parties were engaged in frantic bargaining and tactical voting plans yesterday to try to stop the RN's rise.
Le Pen's party is on track to dominate parliament but the number of seats is not yet decided. Whether it can make the difficult leap to the absolute majority of 289 seats needed to form a government will depend on political deal-making by its rivals over the coming days.
The centrist prime minister, Gabriel Attal, who is likely to be forced to resign after the second round, warned that the far right was at the "gates of power" and said the RN should not get a "single vote" in the second round.
In the past, when confronted with the far right nearing power, the traditional right and leftwing parties have struck agreements to stand down candidates from the runoffs to avoid splitting the vote. But the tactical voting strategy known as the "republican front" is less certain than ever. Leaders of Macron's centrist alliance and the NFP indicated they would withdraw their own candidates in districts where another candidate was better placed to beat the RN, though it was not clear how uniformly this would apply.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Holds barred Time called on cuddling koalas for the camera
From Taylor Swift to King Charles, cuddling a koala in Australia has long on bucket-lists for celebrities, politicians and tourists alike.
Jordan Kingdom faces 'tricky balancing act' over Palestine
Last week, under the blazing summer sun, a crowd marched through central Amman, waving placards and flags.
Timeline The week that sparked a wave of panic in the Democratic party
History may record them as eight days that sank a presidency, or at least as forming the rockiest road to a convention in living memory - a week that left Joe Biden's reelection bid hanging by a thread.
Biden launches media blitz to counter health fears and salvage US presidential bid
Joe Biden was gearing up yesterday for a three-day public relations blitz aimed at salvaging his floundering presidential candidacy after a week of disarray caused by his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
'We can click together' England seek redemption in Düsseldorf
The talk among the English, in recent days, has been of change. After a period of chaos and instability, where nothing appeared to be working, there was a chance to turn the page. Would the opportunity be taken? Would Gareth Southgate switch to three at the back?
Glastonbury is a bit woke, says Gallagher as he urges bands to 'stop yapping'
Noel Gallagher, long a champion of leftwing political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, has decried Glastonbury festival as \"getting a bit woke now\".
Dawn meetings and discipline How Labour stuck to its programme and secured victory
As the election campaign entered its final week, staff at Labour headquarters were treated to a surprise guest.
'Bad hand played poorly' How Sunak let No 10 and Brexit legacy slip from his grasp with wayward strategy and own goals
Rishi Sunak became Britain's prime minister quickly and unexpectedly in October 2022 after the short, financially catastrophic premiership of Liz Truss and the leadership of Boris Johnson, whose loose moral compass had allowed Downing Street to party while the rest of the UK was locked down.
Independence Election points to lack of voter appetite for a second push
The general election result is a catastrophe for John Swinney and the Scottish National party, which has dominated politics in Scotland for a decade.
Farage heckled and party called racist at first speech as MP
Nigel Farage was yesterday heckled by anti-racism protesters at his first event in London since his election where he said he would \"professionalise\" Reform UK and displace the Conservatives as the voice of opposition.
