The French parliamentary elections have resulted in a surprising outcome, with the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance becoming the largest force in the National Assembly, but falling short of an outright majority. This has led to a hung parliament, a situation France is unaccustomed to in modern times.
The NFP, a coalition of left-wing parties including France Unbowed and the Socialists, won 182 seats in the 577-seat parliament. This was a significant achievement, but not enough to secure a majority. President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance came in second with 163 seats, while the far-right National Rally (RN) party led by Marine Le Pen finished third with 143 seats.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced his intention to resign on Monday morning, though he may remain in office temporarily while a new government is formed. Attal acknowledged that "a new era begins" and that France's future will "more than ever" be determined in parliament.
The fragmented nature of the results has led to immediate jockeying for the position of prime minister, but there is no clear candidate at this stage. Macron will have to choose a new prime minister, but this may prove challenging, as many within his alliance have stated they will not work with France Unbowed, the largest party in the NFP.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the RN, has vowed that the "tide is rising" for the far-right and that their "victory has simply been deferred." Her counterpart, RN leader Jordan Bardella, has described the cooperation between the anti-RN parties as a "disgraceful alliance" that would paralyze France.
The leader of the France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has called on Macron to "invite the New Popular Front to govern," arguing that "the will of the people must be strictly respected." However, this may be a difficult proposition, given the reluctance of some centrist and center-left parties to work with the hard-left France Unbowed.
Raphael Glucksmann, from the Socialist party and part of the NFP, has urged his alliance partners to act like "grown-ups," acknowledging that while they are ahead, they are "in a divided parliament" and will need to engage in dialogue and discussion to form a government.
The outcome of these elections represents a significant shift in the French political landscape, with the traditional dominance of the centrist and right-wing parties being challenged by a resurgent left-wing coalition. The process of forming a new government is likely to be complex and may require extensive negotiation and compromise between the various political factions.
As France wakes up to this new political reality, the world will be watching closely to see how the country navigates this uncharted territory and whether the NFP alliance will be able to translate its electoral success into effective governance.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a member of Macron's Renaissance party, has said he will offer his resignation, acknowledging that even though Ensemble had "three times better results than being envisaged", it does not constitute a majority.
France now appears headed for a hung parliament, divided between three significant political blocs, unless the left-wing NPF can strike deals with other parties. The NPF is a new, broad left-wing alliance comprising parties such as France Unbowed, the Socialists, and the Communists, though it does not have an official leader.
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