France will have a hung parliament after no party won a majority. Defying expectations, a left-wing coalition was the most successful, after a predicted swing towards the far-right.
The newly-formed left-wing coalition Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) picked up around 180 of 577 seats in France’s Lower House.
NFP beat challengers from the far-right and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Last month, Macron called a snap election in the wake of the European Parliament elections. Macron’s main rival, Marine Le Pen, led the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party to its best ever result.
While the EU election doesn’t directly impact the composition of the French Parliament, the result was considered an indicator of Macron’s declining popularity.
When he announced the election, Macron told voters he had “heard [their] message, and will not let it go without a response”.
French elections
French elections are held over two rounds to elect 577 members of the lower house.
The first, last week, saw RN pick up 33% of the vote — the most of any political group. Only candidates who received more than 12.5% of the votes in their electorate progressed to the second round of voting.
This election won’t affect Macron’s role as President, as the parliamentary elections are different to the presidential race. Macron will remain President until 2027.
Left-wing coalition
The NFP is a coalition of leftist parties, including the Socialist and Communist parties, and France Unbowed, a far-left party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
It formed soon after the President called the election, in response to concern around the growing influence of Le Pen’s RN. NFP doesn’t include Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance.
NFP policies include increasing the minimum wage, capping food and fuel prices, and recognising the state of Palestine. In May, Macron committed to recognising Palestinian statehood “at a useful moment”.
Other parties
In the first round of voting last week, RN picked up a third of the votes. However, the seats it secured in the second round of voting put RN behind the NFP and Ensemble – about 140.
“The tide continues to rise and our victory is now only delayed,” Le Pen said on X.
The NFP won around 180 seats while Macron’s party picked up about 160, down from 245 at the last election.
France’s hung parliament
According to the French Constitution, a party must win 289 seats in the lower house to form a majority government.
None of the major coalitions or parties has secured enough seats, meaning they will need to negotiate to form government.
These negotiations could last weeks, and it’s unclear how they will play out.
Prime Minister
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Ensemble in the Lower House, will resign this week. However, Attal suggested he could remain in office throughout the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, to maintain Government.
The French Constitution requires Macron to choose the next Prime Minister. In a victory speech, Mélenchon called on Macron to choose a PM from NFP. It’s not yet clear who that would be, or who Macron might choose.
