France’s rapidly united left-wing coalition defeated the rising far right in legislative elections, winning the most seats in parliament but falling short of a majority, polls predicted on Sunday, a shock result that threatened to derail the country. The country fell into political and economic turmoil.
Forecasts put President Macron’s centrist coalition in second place, no longer in control of parliament, and the bruised far-right in third place.
With no one group securing an outright majority, France faces uncertainty that could roil markets and its economy as the European Union’s second-largest economy and cast a shadow of political instability ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics in less than three weeks.
Final results are not expected until Sunday night or early Monday in a highly volatile snap election that has redrawn France’s political map even before the vote, when Macron announced four weeks ago that he was dissolving parliament and calling The election is a big gamble that the president hopes will solidify his centrist coalition.
That doesn’t appear to be paying off for the deeply unpopular president. It is predicted that his coalition will no longer be the largest single group in parliament and may still have a long way to go. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party has significantly increased the number of seats it holds but is still far from its hopes of securing an outright majority that would have given France its first far-right government since World War II.
In Paris’ Stalingrad Square, supporters on the left cheered as a big screen flashed a projection of the league’s prospects. Cheers also erupted in the Place de la République in eastern Paris. People spontaneously hugged strangers. The applause lasted for several minutes after the projection landed.
Le Pen’s 28-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella, who had long wanted to become prime minister, lamented that the vote “sent France into the arms of the far left”.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the left-wing alliance’s most prominent leader, urged Macron to invite the new Popular Front alliance to form a government. The alliance “is ready to govern,” he said.
The forecasts, if confirmed by official statistics, would create huge uncertainty for a pillar of the European Union, where it is unclear who might become prime minister and Macron would be forced to govern with someone who opposes much of his domestic policy. The outcome will affect the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and European economic stability.
Opinion poll forecasts are based on actual vote tallies in selected constituencies.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would resign but also said he would stay on temporarily during the Olympics or for as long as needed, as it could take weeks to choose a new prime minister.
Macron said in a statement from his office that he would not rush to invite a potential prime minister to form a government. The statement said he was following the results and would wait for the new National Assembly to be formed before taking the “necessary decisions” while respecting “the sovereign choice of the French.”
For modern France, a hung parliament would be uncharted territory if no one group could secure the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the more powerful of France’s two chambers.
Unlike other European countries more accustomed to coalition governments, France has no tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a majority.
Macron shocked many in France and his government by dissolving parliament after a far-right surge in France’s June European election vote.
Macron believes sending voters back to the ballot box will provide France with “clarification”. The president hopes that with France’s fate in his own hands, voters may shift away from the far right and far left toward mainstream parties closer to the center – where Macron has the bulk of support, winning him the 2017 and 2022 elections. Presidential throne.
But instead of rallying behind him, millions of voters seized on his unexpected decision as an opportunity to vent their anger.
In the first round of voting last weekend, even more voters backed the National Assembly candidate than voted for the European Parliament candidate. The left-wing coalition came in second, while his centrist coalition was a distant third.
The sharp polarization of French politics – especially in this fierce and fast-moving campaign – is sure to complicate any coalition-building efforts. Racism and anti-Semitism, as well as a Russian disinformation campaign, have marred the campaign, with more than 50 candidates reportedly being physically attacked – highly unusual for France. The government said it was deploying 30,000 police officers for Sunday’s runoff – signaling both the high stakes and concerns that a far-right victory, or even no clear victory for any group, could spark protests.
Any cobbled-together majority risks being vulnerable to a vote of no confidence, leading to its downfall.
The prolonged instability is likely to increase suggestions from his opponents that Macron shorten his second and final term in office. The French constitution prohibits him from dissolving parliament again in the next 12 months except as a way to potentially give France more clarity.
