Support for Macron slips ahead of legislative elections, but still strong

France's new centrist party may win the upcoming legislative elections by the widest margin since Charles de Gaulle's landslide victory in 1968.

Emmanuel Macron's Republic On The Move (LREM) was set to take 29.5% of the ballots cast in the first round of the legislative vote on 11 June, according to a poll by Ipsos Sopra-Steria.

That would put him soundly ahead of the 23% expected for the centre-right The Republicans, 17% for the far-right National Front, 12.5% for the hard-left France Unbowed and 8.5% for the Socialists.

However, one week ago support for LREM was pegged at 31% but had since weakened after one of Macron's cabinet minister's financial dealings caught the attention of investigators.

The same poll predicted Macron's party would obtain between 385 and 415 out of a total of 577 seats in parliament.