2024-07-08 07:40:33
Paris, Jul 7 (EFE).- The French left on Sunday experienced a major electoral upset, coming out on top in the legislative elections, ahead of the Macronist bloc, which relegated the favorite, Marine Le Pen’s far-right, to third place.
But the unexpected political map created by the second round of voting predicts a hugely divided National Assembly with no clear majorities, which is why the governability of France is entering a very uncertain phase, even more so in a country with no tradition of coalitions or alliances.
The New Popular Front (NFP) made up of socialists, communists, environmentalists and the more radical La France Insoumise (LFI) came in first, with between 195 and 208 deputies (including left-wing independents), according to the latest projections.
The Macronist bloc, made up of three parties, won from 161 to 169 seats, a significant drop from the 250 it had before, but much less pronounced than the first round had predicted.
Third place went to the far-right National Rally (RN), which was the big favourite after its victory in the first round and the forecasts of the polls published up to Friday, but which fell to 135-143.
Despite this strong disappointment, the RN achieved a historic result, well above the 89 deputies in 2022, which already represented an exceptional jump from the 8 they had in 2017.
The conservative Les Républicains (LR) is holding on to its position despite some defections to the RN and is said to have 63 deputies.
With a very high turnout of around 67%, the highest in several decades, many French people appear to have mobilised to stop the far right from coming to power following its victory in the first round on 30 June.
Source: International Agencies.
2024-07-08 07:40:33