French Leftist Alliance Projected to Win Elections in a Blow to Far-Right Party
Image Credits: France 24
This Sunday’s election delivered an unexpected win for France’s left, with a left-wing coalition leading the polls and blocking the far-right from securing a majority in the parliament and coming to power. Following the election, the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly. According to interior ministry data cited by Le Monde newspaper, the left won 182 seats, Macron’s centrist alliance 168 and Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) and allies 143. This was a major setback for Marine Le Pen’s nationalist National Rally (RN) party, which was predicted to win the second round ballots but ended up securing the third spot, according to pollster’s predictions.
However, with no single party achieving a majority yet, the possibilities include the NFP forming a minority government, or a weak and divided coalition government leading the way. In a huge blow to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, the great fragmented parliament is set to jeopardize France’s position in the European Union, paving the way for political instability right before it hosts the Olympic Games. The euro-zone’s second largest economy is now also at great risk of economic collapse, as a divided parliament would make it especially difficult to push through any domestic agenda. Moreover, the euro fell on Sunday when the projections were announced.
The left-wing coalition, consisting of the French Communist Party, hard-left France Unbowed, the Greens and the Socialist Party, now stands at a crossroads when it comes to choosing the next Prime Minister. Gabriel Attal, France’s current Prime Minister, said he would give forth his resignation but adopt a caretaker role for as long as required. It is not clear however, whether his resignation would be accepted by President Macron at the moment, considering that the daunting task of forming the next government lies ahead.
“According to the logic of our institutions, Emmanuel Macron should today officially invite the New Popular Front to nominate a prime minister,”said Marine Tondelier, an NFP figure seen as a potential candidate for the post. Parties from the NFP gathered for an overnight meeting on how to proceed further. Jean Luc-Melenchon, leader of France Unbowed, claims that the new Prime Minister must hail from NFP. However, since the bloc has no decided leader, the coalition stands undivided on who would be most suitable for the position.
Other leaders, such as Edouard Philippe, a prominent centrist figure and former Prime Minister under Macron, points to the potential challenges that come with working alongside parties like Frane Unbowed, who many perceive to be as extremist as RN. Yael Braun-Pivet, a lawmaker from MAcron’s party who was the National Assembly Leader before the election, claims that French politics must evolve, and adopt a culture of cooperation across party lines rather than plain antagonism. “The message I’m hearing from the voters is ‘no one has an absolute majority, so you have to work together to find solutions to our problems’,” she said on France 2 television.
The leftist coalition NFP wants to raise the minimum wage ,introduce price caps on essential goods, hike wages of public sector workers and implement a wealth tax. However, there is very little chance of these reforms being passed without agreements from lawmakers outside of the bloc. Screams of joy, and sighs of relief filled the air at the left’s gathering in Paris when the voting projections were announced.
Le Pen, who will now likely be the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election, said that Sunday’s ballot was one where RN made some historic gains. “Our victory has been merely delayed,” she said.
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