Hung Parliament In France As Left Alliance Wins Most Seats Defeating Far Right, Macron To Become Kingmaker

In what appears to be a surprise comeback, the left-wing alliance in France has won the most seats in the French parliament, defeating the far-right's ambitions in the French snap elections.

In the second round of voting, the New Popular Front (NFP) – a coalition of parties ranging from the far-left to moderate Socialists and Ecologists – emerged victorious, leaving Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) Party in decline.

However, the results also left France in a state of political uncertainty, as no party secured an absolute majority.

Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for snap elections following a poor performance by his party in the European Union Parliamentary elections.

According to Le Monde, after the second round of voting, the NFP won 182 seats in the National Assembly, becoming the largest group in parliament, but falling short of the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.

Meanwhile, Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance made a significant recovery in the second round, winning 163 seats.

Despite leading in the first round, Le Pen’s RN and its allies secured only 143 seats, marking a significant decline in their performance.

The RN’s strong showing in the first round had raised fears that France might elect its first far-right government since the Vichy regime of World War II.

This fear prompted over 200 centrist and left-wing candidates to withdraw from the second round to avoid splitting the vote.

As early projections came in, National Rally’s prime ministerial hopeful Jordan Bardella criticised the results, stating that France had been thrown into “uncertainty and instability.” Disappointed, the 28-year-old accused the NFP of “dishonour.”

Following the results, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced he would resign and submit his resignation to Macron on Monday (8 July) morning.