France's exceptionally high-stakes election has begun. The far right leads polls

French voters around the world are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. The two-round vote could put France’s government in the hands of far-right forces for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France’s nuclear arsenal is managed. Many French voters are frustrated about inflation and economic concerns. And they see President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership as out-of-touch. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally party has tapped and fueled that discontent and dominated all preelection opinion polls. A new coalition on the left is also posing a challenge to the moderate Macron.