Unexpected result/ The left wins the majority of seats in the French parliament

2024-07-08 08:11:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Unexpected result/ The left wins the majority of seats in the French parliament

Emmanuel Macron, photo Reuters

A coalition of the French left that suddenly came together to defeat a rising far-right won most of the seats in parliament, but not a majority, after Sunday's election, a result that threatens to plunge the country into political and economic turmoil. .

France's far-right National Rally has failed to win a majority in parliamentary elections.

Official results show a victory for the left-wing alliance New People's Front (NFP). The center alliance of President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble came second and the far-right National Rally third.

The failure to secure a governing majority from either political bloc could confront France with uncertainty that could shake markets and its economy, the second largest in the European Union, and cast a shadow of political instability ahead of the Paris Olympics that expected to open in less than three weeks.

The country now faces the prospect of a hung parliament as the three groups have no tradition of working together. This was the second round of voting in France's early parliamentary elections, which Macron called a month ago.

Many were bracing for a shock advance for the far-right, but a left-wing coalition triumphed ahead of both the right and the center of President Emmanuel Macron.

The New Popular Front looks certain to have 182 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, with 168 for Macron's Ensemble alliance, 143 for the far-right and its allies and 60 for the conservative Republicans. This means a functioning parliament.

Jordan Bardella, Ms Le Pen's 28-year-old pet who hoped to become prime minister, said the vote result "throws France into the arms of the extreme left".

The main leader of the leftist coalition, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, asked President Macron to invite the New Popular Front coalition to form the government. The alliance, he said, "is ready to govern".

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would resign but would stay on temporarily during the Olympics, or as long as needed, given there could be weeks of negotiations to choose a new prime minister. /CNA