Le Pen’s National Rally seen leading vote in French snap elections — polls

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and French far-right National Rally party candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, distributes leaflets as she campaigns with Henin-Beaumont mayor Steeve Briois and local RN politician Bruno Bilde at a market in Henin-Beaumont, northern France on June 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 21 June 2024
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Le Pen’s National Rally seen leading vote in French snap elections — polls

  • The simulation of the national popular vote does not allow for a direct forecast of the balance of power in France’s next National Assembly, as the election on June 30 and July 7 is held as a two-round majority vote in each district

PARIS: Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is seen leading the race ahead of France’s parliamentary elections, three polls showed on Thursday, ahead of the leftwing Popular Front and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists.
Pollster IFOP in a survey for broadcasting group TF1 and Le Figaro said the National Rally (RN) would secure 34 percent of the vote, while the Popular Front would reach 29 percent and Macron’s Together bloc would get 22 percent.
Another poll by Harris Interactive — conducted for RTL radio, M6 TV and Challenges Magazine — put the RN at 33 percent, while the left was seen at 26 percent and Macron’s camp at 21 percent.
A third poll published on Thursday, by OpinionWay on behalf of CNews TV, Europe 1 radio and the Journal du Dimanche paper, also put the RN in the lead with 35 percent of the votes, ahead of the Popular Front which had 27 percent and Macron’s camp which had 20 percent.
The simulation of the national popular vote does not allow for a direct forecast of the balance of power in France’s next National Assembly, as the election on June 30 and July 7 is held as a two-round majority vote in each district.
The Harris poll, however, made rough seat projections and forecast 235 to 280 seats for RN and its allies, which would fall short of the 289 needed for an absolute majority but make it by far the largest bloc.


Kenyan prosecution welcomes detention of UK ex-soldier over woman’s murder

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Kenyan prosecution welcomes detention of UK ex-soldier over woman’s murder

Robert James Purkiss, 38, was remanded in custody by a judge after being arrested on Thursday
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012

NAIROBI: Kenya’s prosecution service on Saturday welcomed the detention of a British ex-soldier accused of murdering a woman in the east African country more than a decade ago.
Robert James Purkiss, 38, was remanded in custody by a judge after being arrested on Thursday, Britain’s National Crime Agency said in a statement.
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012, in a case that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The body of the young mother was found in a septic tank two months after she reportedly went partying with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya where Britain has a permanent army garrison.
Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) welcomed the “significant development” in a statement on X, adding it was a result of an “extensive and coordinated effort” between the British and Kenyan authorities.
The ODPP “reiterates its unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for Agnes Wanjiru and her family, in collaboration with international partners, to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable,” the statement added.
In September, a Nairobi High Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Purkiss, with local prosecutors saying extradition proceedings would be initiated to bring him before a Kenyan court.
Purkiss appeared in court on Friday, saying he did not consent to being extradited, the Press Association news agency reported.
The judge rejected his application for bail and ordered him to appear before the court again on November 14.