PARIS, July 8 — France faced a hung parliament and the prospect of taxing negotiations starting today to form a government after a surprise left-wing surge blocked Marine Le Pen's quest to bring the far right to power.
The leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly after yesterday's election, but with no single group securing a working majority, the possibilities include the NFP forming a minority government or building a broad, unwieldy coalition.
The result delivered a stinging blow to President Emmanuel Macron and left the euro zone's second-largest economy in limbo. It heralded a period of political instability just weeks before Paris hosts the Olympic Games.
Macron ended up with a hugely fragmented Parliament, which is set to weaken France's role in the European Union and further afield and make it hard for anyone to push through a domestic agenda.
Interior Ministry data cited by the Le Monde newspaper showed that the left won 182 seats, Macron's centrist alliance 168, and Le Pen's National Rally (RN) and allies 143.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would tender his resignation, but it was not clear whether the President would accept it immediately, given the daunting task ahead to form a government. Attal said he would be willing to stay on in a caretaker role.
"I will, of course, do my duties as long as it is needed — it cannot be otherwise on the eve of a date (the Olympics) that is so important for our country," he said as it became clear Macron's alliance had endured a humbling setback.
Parties from the NFP — made up of the French Communist Party, hard-left France Unbowed, the Greens and the Socialist Party — met overnight for first talks on how to proceed.
France Unbowed's firebrand leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said the new Prime Minister should hail from NFP. However, the bloc has no leader, and its parties are strongly divided over who they could select as a suitable premier.
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People gather at the Place de la Republique after partial results in the second round of the early French Parliamentary elections in Paris, France, July 7, 2024. — Picture by REUTERS[/caption]
Some prominent centrist figures, including Edouard Philippe, a former prime minister under Macron, said they were ready to work on a pact to ensure a stable government.
The euro fell yesterday after the vote projections were announced.
"There is really going to be a vacuum when it comes to France's legislative ability," said London-based Monex Europe's FX analysis head Simon Harvey.
The result for Le Pen's RN was a far cry from weeks during which opinion polls consistently projected it would win comfortably.
The left and centrist alliances cooperated after the first round of voting last week by pulling scores of candidates from three-way races to build a unified anti-RN vote.
In his first reaction, RN leader Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's protege, called the cooperation between anti-RN forces a "disgraceful alliance" that he said would paralyse France.
However, Le Pen, who will likely be the party's candidate for the 2027 presidential election, said that yesterday's ballot, in which the RN made major gains compared with previous elections, had sown the seeds for the future.
"Our victory has been merely delayed," she said.
As darkness fell yesterday, the statue of Marianne in Place de la Republique was lit up by fireworks amid celebrations by left-wing supporters. Marianne is a national symbol of France, representing reason, liberty, and the ideals of the republic.
Baptiste Fourastié, a 23-year-old designer in Place de la Republique, said, "we were not expecting it, neither were the polls. We are happy that the French people succeeded once more in blocking the far right."
However, he was worried that the right may grow in strength and win next time if the next government is not beyond reproach.
"It will be difficult with a hung parliament, but better than if it was the far right (ahead)," Fourastié said.
— Reuters
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Demonstrators take part in a protest following partial results in the second round of the early French Parliamentary elections in Lyon, France, July 7, 2024, in this still image obtained from a social media video. — Picture by REUTERS via MEDAVE PROD[/caption]
