عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Final Polls Cast Doubt on Macron Majority ahead of Weekend Vote

French President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he visits the Richelieu site of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (National Library of France), after the completion of the renovation project and the 300th anniversary of the installation of the royal collections, in Paris, France, September 28, 2021. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he visits the Richelieu site of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (National Library of France), after the completion of the renovation project and the 300th anniversary of the installation of the royal collections, in Paris, France, September 28, 2021. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Final Polls Cast Doubt on Macron Majority ahead of Weekend Vote

French President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he visits the Richelieu site of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (National Library of France), after the completion of the renovation project and the 300th anniversary of the installation of the royal collections, in Paris, France, September 28, 2021. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he visits the Richelieu site of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (National Library of France), after the completion of the renovation project and the 300th anniversary of the installation of the royal collections, in Paris, France, September 28, 2021. (Reuters)

A final flurry of polls on Friday ahead of French parliamentary elections this weekend suggested President Emmanuel Macron's allies would emerge as the biggest party in the new national assembly but possibly short of a majority.

The surveys from the Elabe, Ifop-Fiducial and Ipsos polling companies indicated Macron's "Ensemble" (Together) coalition was on track for 255-305 seats on Sunday, uncertain of securing the 289 needed for a majority, AFP reported.

The figures indicated that voting intentions have remained largely unchanged since the first round of voting last weekend despite energetic campaigning by a new leftwing alliance, NUPES, that is promising to thwart Macron's plans.

"The vote is extremely open and it would be improper to say that things are settled one way or the other," NUPES leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told reporters on Friday as he campaigned in Paris with his EELV green party allies.

The 70-year-old former Trotskyist has not given up on his objective of a securing a majority and being named prime minister, enabling him to block Macron's plans to cut taxes, reform welfare and raise the retirement age.

Forecasting the parliamentary elections in 577 constituencies is seen as a challenging task for polling firms and they have a mixed record.

NUPES candidates will need working-class and young voters to head to the polls in large numbers to stand any chance on Sunday after they abstained at record levels last weekend.

Friday's surveys suggested they were on track for 140-200 seats.

- Ukraine -
Friday was the last day of legal campaigning, with all political activity banned from midnight and Saturday a day of calm before voting gets under way.

Macron returned home from a trip to Kyiv on Thursday, hoping that his trip to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky along with the leaders of Germany, Italy and Romania will help remind voters of his foreign policy credentials.

"It was work for Europe, for our continent and French people," he told BFM television while travelling back. "Because I don't want this war to spread, and because this war is affecting our daily lives: in the price of things, geopolitical disorder, and it is going to affect us over the longterm."

Melenchon's allies have slammed Macron's trip, accusing him of using the Ukraine crisis to grandstand instead of addressing everyday French concerns including soaring inflation.

They pointed to a record heatwave that has struck France this week as another reason to reject the 44-year-old president, who they see as doing too little to combat climate change.

"If you don't want to live episodes like this over and over again and that it becomes the norm, get rid of this government," the head of the EELV green party, Julien Bayou, said Friday.

Martin Quencez, a research fellow at the German Marshall Fund, said it would be crucial for Macron to mobilise right-wing voters to have any hopes of a majority on Sunday.

"If you compare the first round of presidential elections to the first round of the parliamentary elections, you find that Macron has lost about four million voters," he said.

- Caricature? -
The first round of the election on June 12 painted an inconclusive picture, with Ensemble and NUPES neck-and-neck on around 26 percent of the popular vote each.

Just five MPs -- four from NUPES and one from Together -- were elected outright in the first round, leaving all to play for in Sunday's run-off voting.

Turnout in the first round was a record low of 47.5 percent.

Macron and his allies have increasingly sought to portray Melenchon as an economic danger to the country, pointing to his plans for nationalizations as well as major hikes to the minimum wage and public spending.

Senior MP Christophe Castaner has accused the former Trotskyist of wanting a "Soviet revolution", while Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has called him a "French Chavez" in reference to late Venezuelan autocrat Hugo Chavez.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday dismissed NUPES as "the alliance of circumstance" hiding Melenchon's "extreme vision" that is "dangerous for our economy".

But Manon Aubry, a European deputy for Melenchon's party, accused Borne of "coming up with one lie after another".

French daily Le Monde wrote Thursday that the campaign since the first round had descended into "caricature... rather than discussing the serious issues of the moment".

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Grossi: No Signs Iran Tried to Repair Nuclear Facilities Damaged in US Strikes

Candidate for the position of United Nations secretary-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during the "UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General" event at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Candidate for the position of United Nations secretary-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during the "UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General" event at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
TT
TT

Grossi: No Signs Iran Tried to Repair Nuclear Facilities Damaged in US Strikes

Candidate for the position of United Nations secretary-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during the "UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General" event at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Candidate for the position of United Nations secretary-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during the "UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General" event at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

The head of the UN nuclear agency said Tuesday there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.

President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons the US went to war with Iran on February 28 was to deny Tehran the ability to develop nuclear weapons, even as he has insisted that strikes the US carried out on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 “obliterated” the country’s atomic program.

During a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi urged Iran to give inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in the military attacks.

The IAEA has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the US bombed its sites last year.

However, Grossi said that “since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026.”

Trump has consistently downplayed the economic impact of the Iran war, which has emerged as a liability for Republicans heading into next week’s midterm elections, and has argued that higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

The White House didn’t immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment on Grossi’s remarks.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, the IAEA says the country has a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

World

US Costs of Iran War Rise to Over $47 Billion, According to Pentagon Estimate

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. (US Navy/Handout via Reuters)
Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. (US Navy/Handout via Reuters)
TT
TT

US Costs of Iran War Rise to Over $47 Billion, According to Pentagon Estimate

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. (US Navy/Handout via Reuters)
Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. (US Navy/Handout via Reuters)

The US military has spent over $47 billion so far to prosecute the war in Iran, more than 25% higher than the Defense Department's estimate in July, according to Pentagon data obtained by Reuters.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its estimate, which has not been shared publicly.

The disclosure about ‌the rising ‌cost of the Iran war comes as Republicans wrestle with ‌the ⁠political fallout of ⁠the unpopular conflict ahead of the November 3 election that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

The war's impact on global energy costs has weighed on support for Republican candidates and hurt President Donald Trump's approval ratings. Trump's Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.

The Pentagon's latest estimate was tied to the operational costs of carrying out the ⁠war, with a projected cost of more than $29 billion to ‌replace expended munitions used in the conflict.

More than $6 ‌billion would be needed to replace military equipment and so-called "platform losses," which include ‌the loss of aircraft including many drones lost during the war.

Trump launched ‌the Iran war jointly with Israel in February, predicting that the conflict would last a short time.

Trump's initial strategy in the Iran war focused on first using expensive, high-end precision missiles to bomb Iran's defenses so it could later use less expensive ‌munitions, including gravity bombs like the air-launched JDAMs, which are plentiful.

But an April ceasefire gave time for Iran to ⁠dig out underground storage ⁠facilities, bringing back online some Iranian defenses, as well as missiles and drones that had been inaccessible.

Trump has since imposed a naval blockade on Iran to starve it of oil export revenue and held out the possibility of restarting combat operations after the midterm elections. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the Pentagon has been planning to restart heavy fighting if ordered to do so.

The latest Pentagon estimate compares to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's July estimate of $37.5 billion for the cost of the war.

While the figures include a host of operational costs, from flight operations to cyber support, the US military's Iran war cost estimates did not clearly account for the massive expense expected to repair damage to US bases sustained by Iranian missile and drone attacks.

World

Netanyahu, Eisenkot Stake Rival Claims to Lead Israel After Deadlocked Vote

28 October 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks to supporters at the Likud party's election-night event at the International Convention Center in Teddy Hall, following the release of the exit poll results in Israel's legislative election. (dpa)
28 October 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks to supporters at the Likud party's election-night event at the International Convention Center in Teddy Hall, following the release of the exit poll results in Israel's legislative election. (dpa)
TT
TT

Netanyahu, Eisenkot Stake Rival Claims to Lead Israel After Deadlocked Vote

28 October 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks to supporters at the Likud party's election-night event at the International Convention Center in Teddy Hall, following the release of the exit poll results in Israel's legislative election. (dpa)
28 October 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks to supporters at the Likud party's election-night event at the International Convention Center in Teddy Hall, following the release of the exit poll results in Israel's legislative election. (dpa)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot offered competing claims to lead Israel after Tuesday's election, with Netanyahu calling for a right-wing government and Eisenkot saying voters had rejected the longtime Israeli leader, even as exit polls left their blocs deadlocked.

While the projected results would represent a setback for Netanyahu and his nationalist-religious coalition, the deadlock could work in his favor, leaving the 77-year-old in office as a caretaker prime minister during what are likely to be prolonged coalition negotiations or even until another election can be held.

With vote counts trickling in, Kan 11 and Channel 13 exit polls had the blocs tied at 51 seats each, while Channel 12 gave Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc a narrow 52-49 edge. That left both sides short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, and neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot claimed victory.

Tuesday's vote was the first election since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Far-right religious parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were projected to take a combined 13 seats within Netanyahu's bloc – with no major gains for either of them.

Arab parties outside the two main blocs could hold the balance of power. But Eisenkot, leader ‌of the Yashar ‌party and a former military chief, has all but ruled out forming a government with them, complicating his path ‌to power.

SECURITY ⁠FIGHT SHARPENS

Netanyah, addressing ⁠party faithful after 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) at Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem, called for the formation of “a strong, right-wing national government.”

He also highlighted Israel's military successes and raised the prospect of renewed joint action with US President Donald Trump against Iran.

"Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all. But ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission," he said.

Eisenkot said the public had voted against Netanyahu remaining prime minister and called on him to retire from politics, while warning him not to use Israel's security for political purposes.

“Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust,” Eisenkot said, calling on the security establishment to “stand firm” against any attempt to put political interests ahead of Israel's security.

Voter turnout was 77.7%, Israel's Central Elections Committee said, the highest in ⁠more than two decades and around 7 percentage points higher than in 2022.

Final results are expected on Thursday ‌or Friday, and Israel's fragmented political system leaves smaller parties potential kingmakers in coalition negotiations that have run ‌to weeks or months after past elections. If neither bloc can form a government, another vote may need to be held, something Eisenkot opposed given the high voter turnout.

Yohanan Plesner, ‌president of the Israel Democracy Institute, called the exit polls a major defeat for Netanyahu's coalition but cautioned that Eisenkot had not emerged as a clear winner ‌and much could change as votes were counted.

The Israeli shekel weakened modestly on the indecisive result.

NETANYAHU SETBACK, NO CLEAR WINNER

If the exit poll projections hold, Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, which at its height held 68 seats, would fall far short of the 61 needed to govern, leaving him with no clear path to forming a government.

Eisenkot, 66, who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, emerged as Netanyahu's strongest challenger, stressing his security credentials while positioning himself as a centrist domestically.

He entered politics only four years ago and joined Netanyahu's ‌war cabinet after the 2023 Hamas attack, but quit eight months later, criticizing the prime minister's leadership.

Eisenkot offers a break with Netanyahu's leadership and far-right allies, but not with the hawkish approach to security that has become more entrenched ⁠since the 2023 Hamas attack. He opposes ⁠Palestinian statehood and says Hamas' military wing must be destroyed or dismantled.

Eisenkot says Israel's response — a war that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities — was a failure because Hamas remains in charge.

The headquarters of the Joint List, an alliance of several Arab parties, burst into whistles and applause when exit polls were released, on a historic night for turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

“We refuse the occupation and racism, and we will remain here,” said Faten Gattas, a candidate in the Joint List, in a speech at the alliance’s headquarters in Nazareth. Candidates hoped high Arab turnout would allow them to play a decisive role in blocking Netanyahu's coalition from returning to power.

A WARTIME VERDICT

Voters grappled with the trauma of Israel's deadliest day, when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage, and the wars in Gaza and with Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran that followed.

While Netanyahu was criticized for the country's biggest security failure, he argued that he had made Israel and the world safer by killing top leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

The policies of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition have been divisive at home and deepened Israel's international isolation, but he has portrayed himself as the leader with the mettle to face down Israel's foes.

Netanyahu, 77, has served as prime minister for nearly 19 of the past 30 years and has repeatedly survived political crises. His opponents have managed to wrest the premiership from him only once since 2009, after four inconclusive elections in two years. Eighteen months later, he was back.

He entered the election facing long-standing corruption charges, which he denies, and criticism over intelligence failures that allowed Hamas-led fighters to carry out their attack.