Upset for the French Left

The Left Alliance New People's Front (NFP) is in a narrow lead in the French election, according to exit polls. President Emmanuel Macron's center alliance Ensemble appears to receive the second most votes. In third place is the far-right party National Rally, which was predicted to win.

» Updated: July 16 2024

» Published: July 07 2024

Upset for the French Left
Photo: Thomas Padilla/AP/TT

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The Left Alliance New People's Front (NFP) is in a narrow lead in the French election, according to exit polls.

President Emmanuel Macron's center alliance Ensemble appears to be getting the second most votes.

Far-right party National Rally is in third place, despite being predicted to win.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a member of Macron's party, will submit his resignation tomorrow, he says according to French media.

No group appears to have an absolute majority. The prognosis shows a very even race, which may change as the votes are counted throughout the evening and night.

In the same second as the exit poll result became clear, enormous cheers erupted at the Socialist Party's election party, where hugs were exchanged.

A huge relief, says a voter to TT before joining the rest of the room in singing the Marseillaise.

Party leader Olivier Faure shouts "Bravo to us all" to the crowd, which chants "Olivier" back.

Tonight, France has said no to RN, he says.

According to the prognosis, NFP will get between 172 and 215 seats, Ensemble between 150 and 180 seats, and RN, together with their allies, between 115 and 155 seats, writes AFP.

Calling for Attal to Resign

Sunday's second round of voting for the National Assembly appears to be leading to the highest voter turnout in several decades.

The NFP alliance was formed when President Emmanuel Macron called for new elections four weeks ago.

The majority has chosen a different path for France, says Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party Unsubmissive France, the largest party in the alliance, closely followed by the Socialist Party, at his party's election party according to AFP.

He urges sitting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Macron's party, to resign and says the left-wing coalition is ready to govern the country.

President Macron says in a statement according to AP that he will not make a decision on a new government yet.

Besides Unsubmissive France and the Socialist Party, the Greens, the Ecologists, and the French Communist Party are also part of the alliance.

High Voter Turnout

The voter turnout appears to be 66.7 percent – a high figure compared to previous years.

After the first round, the far-right party RN became the largest with 34 percent of the votes. It was talked about as a victory for RN even this time – something the prognosis speaks against.

We will strengthen our work in opposition, says Jordan Bardella, leader of RN, who was tipped to become the country's next prime minister, after the news that they appear to be coming in third place.

France is about to fall into the arms of the extreme left, he says at the election party, and calls NFP an "alliance of dishonesty".

The new election to the National Assembly will decide who becomes prime minister and gets to form a government – and cooperate with President Emmanuel Macron.

577 seats in parliament are to be elected. A majority requires 289 seats.

If there is no party with a clear mandate to govern, Macron could choose a government of experts unbound to political parties. Such a government would likely mainly administer the necessary daily work to keep France running. Such a solution would, however, require parliamentary approval.

Macron could also need to seek a prime minister from the left.

If the political talks after the election take too long, Macron's center government could function as a transitional government over the summer and the Olympics.

Source: AP

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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