Polls Open in French Legislative Elections Polls are open in France where voting for the lower house of parliament begins, which will determine whether new President Francois Hollande's Socialists or rival conservatives control the government. A woman looks at posters for the French general election, in Nice, southeastern France, Saturday, June 9, 2012, on the eve of the first round of the French general election. The second round will take place on June 17t to elect the 14th National Assembly of the 5th Republic. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) Close The Sunday elections, followed by runoffs a week later, will also show whether Hollande can push his tax-the-rich, down-with-austerity agenda, and how much of a voice the far right will have in policies on immigration and Muslim practices. The legislative race hasn't garnered nearly the headlines or drama of the presidential race in April and May, and many polls suggest turnout among France's 46 million voters could be around 40 percent - far less than in Hollande's showdown with Nicolas Sarkozy.