UPDATE - Turnout in critical snap elections in France around 60% in afternoon

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

ADDS MORE INFORMATION, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Nur Asena Erturk

The turnout in the legislative elections in France on Sunday was 59.39% at 5 p.m. (1500GMT), according to the Interior Ministry.

This turnout is much higher than that in the 2022 elections at the same hour, which was 39.42%.

The turnout was around 25.9% at noon in France, four hours into the election, the Interior Ministry said on X. This rate at this time was 18.43% in 2022 elections, it added.

More than 49 million registered voters, including political figures and President Emmanuel Macron, headed to the polling stations to elect the new members of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament, for a five-year term as the country finds itself at a crucial political crossroads.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. (0600GMT), with voting to continue for 12 hours.

Macron voted in the town of Touquet in northern France, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal voted in the town of Vanves outside Paris, while the head of the far-right party National Rally (RN) -- a candidate to lead the next government -- Jordan Bardella voted in the town of Garches, according to the broadcaster BFMTV.

Left-wing MP Manuel Bompard cast his vote in the southern city of Marseille, and another far-right leader of the Reconquete party and former presidential candidate, Eric Zemmour, voted in Paris.

Former French President Francois Hollande voted in western France’s Tulle.

Macron dissolved parliament and announced snap elections after the RN swept more than 31% of the vote in the European Parliament elections on June 9, defeating his centrist bloc.

National parliamentary elections will be held in two rounds, with the second to take place on July 7.