Low turnout a concern as Macron heads for big majority

Paris

FRENCH voters have put President Emmanuel Macron's party on course for a crushing parliamentary majority, though a record low turnout in the first round of voting raised concerns on Monday over the strength of his future mandate.

Projections showed Mr Macron continuing his centrist revolution, with his Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM) party and its ally MoDem tipped to win between 400 and 445 seats in the 577-member National Assembly in next Sunday's second round. Such a share would give Mr Macron - who founded his party just a year ago - one of the biggest parliamentary majorities the modern French state has seen.