French President Emmanuel Macron's allies were set to lose their majority in parliament after elections on Sunday, dealing a major blow to the centrist leader and his second-term programme, projections from five polling firms showed.

Macron's "Ensemble" (Together) coalition was on track for 200-260 seats, short of the 289 needed for a majority in the National Assembly.

The left-wing NUPES alliance was set to win 149-200 seats, while Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally made major gains and was on course for 60-102 seats.

(With input from AFP)