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.

PARIS, July 7 — France holds a parliamentary run-off election today that will reconfigure the political landscape, with opinion polls forecasting the far-right National Rally (RN) will win the most votes but likely fall short of a majority.