French leftists win election, a blow to Le Pen

PARIS,— France faces a significant political stalemate following Sunday’s elections, which resulted in a hung parliament.

A leftist coalition unexpectedly claimed the top position, while no single group secured a majority.

The election results dealt a severe blow to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN), a nationalist and eurosceptic party. Despite predictions of a strong performance, the RN fell to third place, according to pollsters’ projections.

Centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who had called for the snap election to stabilize the political scene after his party’s losses in the recent European Parliament elections, also faced disappointment.

The outcome has led to a highly fragmented parliament, complicating France’s role in the European Union and globally, and posing significant challenges for advancing any domestic agenda.

The new parliament is divided into three major blocs—the left, centrists, and far-right—each with distinct platforms and little history of collaboration. The path forward remains unclear.

The New Popular Front (NFP), a leftist alliance advocating for price caps on essentials, a higher minimum wage, increased public sector salaries, and a wealth tax, immediately expressed its intention to govern.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard-left faction, emphasized that the people’s will must be respected, urging the president to invite the NFP to form the government.

Le Pen’s RN has worked to distance itself from its past associations with racism and antisemitism, yet many in France remain wary of its nationalist stance.

Nonetheless, the announcement of the voting projections was met with exuberant celebrations among leftist supporters in Paris, with crowds gathering in Republique Square, playing drums, lighting flares, and chanting victory slogans.

“I’m relieved,” said Hafsah Hachad, a 34-year-old French-Moroccan doctor and ecological activist. “What the far-right proposed was madness.”

Despite their enthusiasm, the leftist alliance, comprising the hard-left, Greens, and Socialists, did not achieve an absolute majority in the 577-seat assembly.

Early results suggested the left could secure between 184-198 seats, Macron’s centrist alliance 160-169, and the RN and its allies 135-143. Official results were still coming in, with a complete tally expected by early Monday.

The euro dipped following the release of vote projections.

Aneeka Gupta, macroeconomic research director at WisdomTree, noted that while the market might experience a brief respite due to the absence of an RN majority, political gridlock could persist until at least autumn 2025.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his intention to resign on Monday but will remain in a caretaker capacity as needed.

A crucial issue is whether the leftist alliance can maintain unity and agree on a course of action. Melenchon ruled out a broad coalition with parties of differing ideologies.

Raphael Glucksmann from the Socialist Party called for maturity and cooperation among alliance partners, stressing the need for dialogue in a divided parliament.

Although the constitution does not mandate Macron to invite the largest group to form a government, this is typically the procedure. However, there was no clear indication from Macron’s team regarding his next move.

An individual close to Macron highlighted the need to identify a coalition capable of securing the 289 seats required to govern. Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe suggested a broad cross-party alliance, excluding the far-left.

The RN’s performance, falling short of previous expectations, was partly due to strategic cooperation between the left and centrist alliances, which withdrew candidates from three-way races to consolidate an anti-RN vote.

RN leader Jordan Bardella criticized this as a “disgraceful alliance” aimed at paralyzing France. Nevertheless, Le Pen remained optimistic, seeing the gains made by RN as laying the groundwork for future success.

The election underscored widespread voter dissatisfaction with Macron’s handling of the cost-of-living crisis, failing public services, immigration, and security issues.

Le Pen’s RN capitalized on these grievances, extending their reach beyond traditional strongholds, but ultimately fell short of achieving power.

(With files from Reuters)