FRENCH opposition parties scrambled to reach deals today to try to prevent a victory for Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in Sunday’s second round of legislative elections.

The National Rally, under party president Jordan Bardella, secured the most votes in the first round of the snap legislative elections on June 30, but not enough to claim an overall victory that would allow the formation of France’s first far-right government since World War II.

An unprecedented number of candidates from the New Popular Front left-wing alliance and from President Emmanuel Macron’s weakened governing party who qualified for round two have stepped aside in favour of the contender most likely to beat the National Rally.