Surprise win for left alliance in French election

Left wing supporters light red flares as they celebrate during a rally after the announcement of the results of the second round of France's parliamentary elections — French voters turned out "in force to defeat the far-right" (Image credit: Jeff Pachoud / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

A loose alliance of left-wing parties is on course to become France's biggest parliamentary bloc, beating both the far-right and President Emmanuel Macron's coalition in the most momentous election in recent memory.

The left-green New Popular Front took 182 seats in a shock win. Macron's centrist Together alliance won 163 seats, while Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and allies were relegated to third with 143 seats.

Who said what

France is facing a hung parliament after the "surprising surge" from the new left-wing coalition helped "hold back" the National Rally's "push to power," said The New York Times.

National Rally was defeated by what is known in France as "the Front républicain," said France 24, which is "when voters turn out in force to defeat the far-right."

What next?

The result "plunges France into political limbo," said Al Jazeera. If no working majority can be cobbled together, Macron can ask the largest party to lead a minority government. Given that fresh parliamentary elections cannot be called for another year, said the BBC, "instability could ensue."

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.