France’s far-right National Rally (RN) appears to hold a clear lead in the first round of the snap nationwide elections for control of the lower house of parliament, according to first projections. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by his Renaissance party, looked to be stumbling to a third-place finish in the first round of voting, according to the preliminary results reported by broadcasters TF1 and France 2 shortly after the polls closed on Sunday. The RN, alongside its far-right allies, gained 34% to 34.2% of the vote. The left-wing New Popular Front al…