Macron’s party struggles to process candidates for parliamentary elections / Polls suggest parliamentary majority within reach for Macron / France’s Le Pen to run in parliamentary elections

Features in the lead-up to the first round of the legislative elections in France, 11 June 2017, following Emmanual Macron winning the Presidential Election on the 7 May 2017.

Much of the media interest in the week after the Presidential election focused on the challenge Macron's new party La Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move) had to find candidates to fill all the seats for the legislative elections.

Front National leader Marine Le Pen announced on the 18 May 2017 that she would stand as a candidate in the June 2017 parliamentary elections, arguing that the FN was now the main opposition party to La Republique en Marche (REM).

Public opinion data published on the 18 May 2017 showed that REM had increased its lead in opinion polls.

• Primary Source

France24, 10.05.17: Valls told he ‘does not fit’ En Marche! criteria for June poll http://www.france24.com/en/20170510-valls-told-he-must-join-en-marche-join-legislative-slate

ESO: Key source: French legislative election, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-legislative-election-2017/

ESO: Key source: France Presidential Election 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-presidential-election-2017/

Euro|Topics: Debates, May 2017: Can Macron's experiment succeed? http://www.eurotopics.net/en/179128/can-macron-s-experiment-succeed

The Local.fr, 12.05.17: Macron's plan to freshen up French politics gets off to a rocky start https://www.thelocal.fr/20170512/several-hiccups-as-macron-reveals-new-candidates

The Guardian, 14.05.17: Emmanuel Macron races to train would-be MPs https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/13/emmanuel-macron-rushes-train-s-rance-president-candidates-en-marche

EurActiv, 19.05.17: Polls suggest parliamentary majority within reach for Macron http://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/polls-suggest-parliamentary-majority-within-reach-for-macron/

France24, 19.05.17: France's Le Pen to run in parliamentary elections http://www.france24.com/en/20170519-far-right-marine-le-pen-run-parliament-national-front-france

The Local.fr, 18.05.17: Macron's party stretches lead in polls as new French government meets for first time https://www.thelocal.fr/20170518/macron-new-party-stretches-lead-in-polls-as-french-government-meets-for-first-time

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