France votes, Macron faces tough battle for control of parliament

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters)-Voting was underway in France on Sunday in a parliamentary election that could deprive newly re-elected centrist President Emmanuel Macron of the absolute majority he needs to govern with a free hand.

Initial projections were expected at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) from the election that could change the face of French politics.

Turnout by midday was a bit stronger - at 18.99% - than at the same time during a first round of voting last Sunday and than in 2017, when it reached only 18.43% and 17.75% respectively.

Macron won a second term in presidential elections in April. If Sunday’s vote does not give his camp an outright majority it would open a period of uncertainty that could be resolved by a degree of power-sharing among parties unheard of in France over the past decades - or result in political paralysis and repeat parliamentary elections down the line.