THE NEW YORK TIMES: The outcome left no party with an absolute majority and France bracing for potential political paralysis.
France faced a hung parliament and deep political uncertainty after the three main political groups of the left, center and right emerged from snap legislative elections on Sunday with large shares of the vote but nothing approaching an absolute majority.
The preliminary results upended widespread predictions of a clear victory for the National Rally, Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigrant party that dominated the first round of voting a week ago. Instead, the left-wing New Popular Front won 178 seats.
The centrist coalition of President Emmanuel Macron, who cast the country into turmoil a month ago by calling the election, was in second place with 150 seats. Trailing it was the National Rally and its allies, which took 142 seats. » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Sunday, July 7, 2024
How the French Election Results Unfolded: A left-wing coalition unexpectedly surged and the far-right National Rally fell short of predictions. But no coalition captured a majority in Parliament, meaning months of gridlock could lie ahead. »
