What Does the Outcome of France's Snap Election Mean? | Inside Story

Jul 8, 2024 | An inconclusive election in France - but with one certainty, the far-right won't lead the next government.

A leftist bloc came out on top, ahead of President Macron's centrists -- with the far-right National Rally beaten into third place. So, what does the result mean?

Presenter: Neave Barker

Guests:

Rokhaya Diallo - Writer and an Anti-Racism Activist and researcher at Georgetown University.
Victor Mallet - Senior Editor at the Financial Times and a former Paris Bureau Chief.
Suzanne Lynch - Global Playbook Author and Associate Editor at Politico.

German Lawmaker: French Elections Is 'a Troubling Situation' | DW News

Jul 8, 2024 | In the second round of France's legislative elections on Sunday, the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) landed a surprise win over the far-right National Rally (RN). None of the alliances achieved an absolute majority. DW's chief political correspondent Nina Haase spoke to German Green Party lawmaker Tobias Bacherle about the election results and their significance for the EU and German-French relations. Despite RN getting fewer seats than predicted in many polls, Bacherle still sees the outcome as a warning, and argues that the far right is on the rise.

France Faces Hung Parliament after Election Result | BBC News

Jul 8, 2024 | France is facing political deadlock after parliamentary elections dealt a blow to the far-right National Rally - but leave no party with a majority.

A coalition of left-wing parties - has won most seats in the high stakes snap election. The left-wing New Popular Front has won 182 seats in total, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally have 143 MP’s, coming behind President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble Alliance, which has 168 seats.

RN leader Jordan Bardella blamed "unnatural political alliances" for stopping their rise to power.

What the Election Results Mean for Macron, France and the EU | DW News

Jul 8, 2024 | Leftists in France have been rejoicing after a hastily assembled alliance scored a surprise win in the second and final round of parliamentary elections. The New Popular Front succeeded in its goal of preventing the far right from gaining power - with the National Rally forced into third place. President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition came second. But with no group gaining an absolute majority, France could potentially face years of political instability.

French Election Yields Deadlock as Left Surges and Far Right Comes Up Short

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. »

French Election: Far-right Le Pen Closes In on Macron ahead of Vote

BBC: The least a president might expect, when juggling a war in Europe with an election at home, is a bounce in the polls.

But Emmanuel Macron has discovered that all the energy he spent dealing with Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has been of little help in France's unpredictable vote.

"Nothing is impossible," President Macron has warned, as polls suggest his far-right rival is closer than ever before to winning the presidency.

A month ago, Marine Le Pen was trailing President Macron by 10 points and fighting for a place in the second round against him.

Now she's seen as the clear favourite to challenge him for the presidency after Sunday's first round. If she does make it through to the 24 April run-off, opinion polls suggest for the first time that a Le Pen victory is within the margin of error.

For this, the National Rally leader can thank two men once seen as dangerous for her campaign: her far-right rival, Eric Zemmour, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, now an international pariah. » | Lucy Williamson, BBC Paris correspondent | Friday, April 8, 2022

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