A left-wing alliance in France has made a significant comeback, securing the most seats in the country’s parliament and thwarting the aspirations of the far-right. In the second round of voting in the French snap polls, the New Popular Front (NFP) – a coalition of parties ranging from the far-left to the more moderate Socialists and Ecologists – emerged victorious, leaving Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) Party significantly weakened. However, the results from the second phase of polling have also left France in a political limbo, as none of the competing parties came close to winning an absolute majority.
Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for a snap election after his party’s disappointing performance in the European Union Parliamentary elections. According to the surprising results of the second phase of voting, the NFP won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest group in the French parliament, as reported by Le Monde. Nevertheless, it fell short of the 289 seats needed to form a government with an absolute majority.
Meanwhile, Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance staged a strong recovery in the second phase of voting, securing 163 seats. Despite leading in the first phase of the polls, Le Pen’s RN and its allies managed to win only 143 seats, marking a substantial decline in the second phase. The RN’s strong performance in the first round had ignited concerns about the possibility of France electing its first far-right government since the collaborationist Vichy regime of World War II. The apprehension was so intense that by Tuesday of last week, more than 200 centrist and left-wing candidates withdrew from the second round, in an effort to avoid splitting the vote.
As soon as early projections began to surface, National Rally’s Prime Minister hopeful, Jordan Bardella, condemned the results, stating that France had been thrown into “uncertainty and instability.” Disappointed by the outcome, the 28-year-old Bardella criticized the NFP and accused the alliance of “dishonour.” “As from tomorrow, our deputies will take up their places to make sure we counter the migration policies and other policies of the far left. We will not enter into any kind of coalition or compromise, we will be on the side of the French people,” he said.
Following the results of the second phase of voting, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his intention to submit his resignation to Macron on Monday morning. He stated that he would step aside in accordance with his “principles.” While announcing his decision at a press conference, the French premier acknowledged that the situation presented an “unprecedented political situation” that would likely plunge many into uncertainty. Attal made it clear that he did not want to see the nation “divided into three blocs. That is not France, it is not the politics of the French people.”
“As from tomorrow, we have to work towards a new political deal which will involve all the French with clear values and guarantee a union and never yield to division. We must, in all this, preserve our humanity, guarantee our security, be by the side of those who believe in France,” Attal affirmed.
While France successfully averted a far-right victory, the results of the two phases have left the country in a political stalemate. With contributions from various agencies.
