Macron faces tough battle for control of parliament after first round vote

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes a guest at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) -President Emmanuel Macron faces a tough fight to win an absolute majority in parliament that would allow him to govern with a free hand after a strong showing by a new left-wing alliance in Sunday's first-round election.

Initial estimates by Elabe put the hard-left veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon's NUPES bloc neck-and-neck with Macron's Ensemble! alliance in the first round, with 26.20% and 25.8% respectively.