Macron seeks clear majority in upcoming legislative elections

France's President Emmanuel Macron has called on voters to give his party a clear majority in the second round of the legislative elections on Sunday, or risk the prospect of sharing parliamentary power with rivals.

Macron's alliance Ensemble, meaning "Together", suffered losses in last Sunday's first round while gains were made by la Nouvelle Union Populaire Ecologique et Sociale, the recently formed left-wing alliance known as NUPES, which is fronted by Jean-Luc Melenchon, who was a third place finisher in April's presidential elections.

The right-wing party Les Republicains, plus the far-right parties of former presidential candidates Marine Le Pen, of Rassemblement National, and Eric Zemmour, of Reconquete, also made gains. The winning party needs 289 seats to secure an absolute majority.

The progress made by the far right and left means it is likely that Macron's alliance may lose many of its National Assembly seats in the second round of voting, reported the AFP news service.

"We need a solid majority to ensure order outside and inside our borders," Macron told French media ahead of a visit to Romania on Tuesday. "Nothing would be worse than to add French disorder to international disorder."

French media reported that first-round turnout was just 47.5 percent, a record low figure. Macron said: "We are at a time of great choices, and great choices are never made by abstaining. I therefore appeal to your common sense and to a surge of republican spirit."

He said that "the months ahead will be difficult" but called for people to back him in the name of "the higher national interest" and "common sense".

Melenchon was critical of Macron making an overseas trip in the middle of the campaign.

"Emmanuel Macron has planned a trip abroad for three days ... after anaesthetizing the campaign by refusing any debate, he saw the second round as a done deal," he told daily newspaper Le Parisien.

Analysis of Sunday's first round predicts that Macron and his allies could see an outcome with 255-295 parliamentary seats, which would be far less than the 345 they currently hold, reported AFP.

Polling companies say that should Macron fail to secure the absolute majority he seeks, he would need the support of right-wing opponents for all future legislative votes in Parliament.

"In these troubled times, the choice you have to make this Sunday is more crucial than ever," Macron said in his statement delivered in front of his presidential plane before his departure to visit French NATO troops based in eastern Europe. "We must defend our institutions against all those who challenge and weaken them," he added.