As many as 218 candidates have dropped out of the second round, most of them to help beat the far right, Ednews informs via Le Monde.

This provisional count, based on candidates' statements, is likely to evolve. The final list of candidates will be published on Wednesday.

Over two rounds of voting, with the second one taking place Sunday, July 7, French voters are choosing the 577 members of the Assemblée Nationale. In the first round, the top two candidates in each constituency qualified for the second round. Any candidate who received a number of votes equivalent to at least 12.5% of the registered voters in the constituency also qualified, meaning there can be three- or even four-way second rounds.

While three-way contests were rare in the 2022 legislative elections (there were only eight), this year's configuration, with three major blocs competing and a high voter turnout, has caused their number to skyrocket: In 306 districts, three candidates met the requirements to qualify, and in five districts, four candidates qualified.

The final number of three-way and four-way will be much lower, though, as many candidates have withdrawn from the race to support a better-placed rival to beat the far-right Rassemblement National party. The final deadline for candidates to confirm they are running in the second round is set for Tuesday, July 2, at 6 pm (GMT +1).