President Emmanuel Macron could fall short of a parliamentary majority after the French took to the polls in a first round of voting on Sunday.
Some polling companies see Mr Macron's centrist alliance scoring less than the 289 seats required.
Mr Macron's Ensemble alliance is said to be running neck-and-neck with a new left-wing alliance, Nupes, with both scoring about 25-26 per cent of the popular vote.
From these figures, polling firms projected that Ensemble would win 225 to 310 seats in the second round of voting next Sunday, possibly short of a majority.
Nupes, a newly unified alliance of leftists, Socialists, Greens and Communists, was forecast to win 150 to 220 seats, making it by far the biggest opposition force in Parliament.
If Mr Macron's coalition falls short of a majority, it is expected to lead to bill-by-bill deals with right-wing parties in Parliament, or he would have to try to poach opposition or independent MPs for his political group.
"It's a very serious warning that has been sent to Emmanuel Macron," political scientist Brice Teinturier told France 2 television.
"A majority is far from certain."
Emmanuel Macron beats Marine Le Pen in French presidential election - in pictures
Sunday's vote followed presidential elections in April in which Mr Macron secured a second term, beating far-right leader Marine Le Pen with pledges to cut taxes, reform welfare and raise the retirement age to 65 for most people.
After a dismal performance in that vote, the French left has united behind Jean-Luc Melenchon, a hard-left veteran who has a radically different programme, including lowering the retirement age, wealth taxes and increasing the minimum wage by 15 per cent.
Turnout was on course to be a record low of 47 to 47.5 per cent, polling projections showed.
"Some people say that parliamentary elections aren't important but that's not true," engineer Arnaud, 40, told AFP as he cast his vote in Paris.
"If the president doesn't win a majority he can't get anything done."
Emmanuel Macron sworn in for second term as president - in pictures
Ms Le Pen's far-right National Rally was seen as winning 10 to 45 seats nationally, potentially sharply increasing the party's representation in Parliament from its current eight seats.
The record low turnout is set to confirm the trend of dwindling interest for parliamentary elections over the past 20 years.
"The very personal nature of the presidential election still continues to interest people, but it overshadows all the other types of ballot, even the essential one which is electing the members of the national assembly," said Mathieu Gallard of the Ipsos polling group.
While Mr Macron and his EU allies breathed a heavy sigh of relief after his solid presidential victory against Ms Le Pen, the past weeks have brought no sense of a honeymoon.
Energy and food prices are soaring in France as elsewhere in Europe, the treatment of English fans at the Champions League final in Paris damaged France's image abroad, and Mr Macron has been accused by Ukraine of being too accommodating with Russia.
His new Disabilities Minister Damien Abad has faced two rape accusations, which he has vehemently denied, while new Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has yet to make an impact.
Mr Macron has made it clear that ministers who are standing in the election — including Ms Borne, who arrived on top on Sunday in her first attempt at winning a seat — will have to step down if they lose.
Europe Minister Clement Beaune, a close ally of Mr Macron and a crucial influence over France's Brexit and wider EU policies, is also standing in his first election and is considered to be in a close fight with a left-wing rival.
Emmanuel Macron inaugurated for second term as French president - video
Under France's system, a candidate needs more than half of the vote on the day, as well as the backing of at least 25 per cent of registered voters in a constituency to be elected outright in the first round.
Otherwise the top two candidates in a constituency, and any other candidate who won the backing of at least 12.5 per cent of registered voters, go forward to the second round, where the one with the most votes wins.
The five pillars of Islam
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The five pillars of Islam
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE