Macron party neck and neck with leftists in parliamentary vote – Belgian paper

French President Emmanuel Macron poses for a picture during the first round of French parliamentary elections, at a polling station in Le Touquet, France, June 12, 2022. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Ensemble (Together) alliance is estimated to have won about 25% of votes in the first round of the country's parliamentary elections, slightly less than the left, Belgian newspaper La Libre said on Sunday, citing two exit polls.

The paper said the Jean-Luc Melenchon's leftwing Nouvelle Union Populaire Ecologique et Socialiste (Nupes), was estimated to have won between 25.7% and 25.8% of the votes.

Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) was estimated to have won between 18.5% and 19.3% of the votes, and centre-right Les Republicans party between 11.6% and 14%.

The paper did not say which pollsters compiled the data or provide details of their methodology.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; Editing by Frances Kerry)