No majority, no obvious coalition: What is next in France?

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• Marine Tondelier, the first secretary of the Ecologists, responded to questions about a potential alliance with Macron's centrist faction by saying she is open to negotiating with those who share the desire to advance on the same priorities.
• François Bayrou, leader of the MoDem (the second-largest party in the centrist Ensemble alliance), also extended an olive branch to parties from the left to the right, excluding what he considers the extremes, namely the Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise.
• Olivier Faure, the first secretary of the Socialist Party, firmly rejected "backroom deals" with the presidential party, talking about a shift towards what he called a new era that required "working differently."
• Bruno Retailleau, the president of the center-right Republicans in the Senate, called for the revival of the Republicans, which he declared "dead" following the recent elections. He firmly opposed an alliance with the presidential party and the left, stating, "Do you see us governing with the left? We agree on nothing."

During its appearance on French national broadcaster TF1, Jordan Bardella also criticized the "Front Républicain" alliances, which resulted in more left-wing and centrist deputies being elected over those from the Rassemblement National. "The great paradox of this election, due to the unnatural alliance between Mr. Macron and Mr. Mélenchon, is that France voted right, voted patriotically: yet with 37%, the RN does not govern, and with 25%, the far-left is on the verge of power."

With his chances of coming to power slipping away, Bardella said he is now setting his sights on preparing for the next electoral challenge in 2027. He has also been elected president of the newly created political group in the European Parliament "Patriots for Europe" earlier today.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France Insoumise, expressed confidence during a TV interview on French news channel LCI that the left-wing alliance, Le Nouveau Front Populaire, will reach an agreement this week on a candidate for Prime Minister to propose to President Emmanuel Macron. He firmly stated that he would not accept "any concessions on the programme".

He suggested that person should emerge from La France Insoumise as it is the biggest party of the alliance. Discussing the names currently under discussion in negotiations among the major left-wing political factions, Mélenchon also indicated his own willingness to assume the role of Prime Minister.

At 8pm, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the prominent leader of La France insoumise, will make an appearance on LCI.

Simultaneously on TF1, a diverse political panel includes Jordan Bardella, President of the Rassemblement national and newly elected leader of the far-right european party Patriots; François Bayrou, head of the centrist party Modem; Olivier Faure, leader of the Parti Socialiste and MP for Seine-et-Marne; and Bruno Retailleau, Senate Leader of the "Les Républicains".

Later, at 8:30 PM, France 2 will host two political figures of the left recently elected: François Ruffin, dissident La France insoumise Deputy from the Somme, along with Marine Tondelier, the National Secretary of the "Les Écologistes" (Greens).

Today, Gérald Darmanin has made a clear statement to journalists outside the National Assembly regarding the composition of the future government. “It is out of the question to govern with, or support a coalition that has any link with La France Insoumise or Rassemblement National,” he declared. He further emphasized, “There are unacceptable things with La France Insoumise, and I do not accept them.”

According to Darmanin, the only viable coalition would resemble the von der Leyen coalition at the European level, bringing together forces from the center-right to the center-left. He expressed openness to discussions with the Socialist Party, but with specific conditions: “We must ask the Socialist Party if it is willing to break with La France Insoumise, and in that case, we could discuss major issues.”

Darmanin also claimed that “La France Insoumise and the Popular Front did not win the elections.” However, the Nouveau Front Populaire emerged as the leading force in the recent elections, securing 178 seats, ahead of the Ensemble coalition, which garnered 156 seats.

In a recent television interview with MSNBC, US President Joe Biden spoke about the upcoming presidential race in America, set for November. He drew a parallel between the situation in the US and the recent parliamentary elections in France, saying, “France rejected extremism; democrats will reject it here as well.” Biden further emphasized, “Trump is an extreme candidate; I cannot think of a more extreme candidate than him.” 

Readers may have noticed slight variations in the results being reported across the media. This appears to be due to differences in how to attribute candidates to the various political camps.

Euronews has crunched the raw results data published by the French Ministry of the Interior, based on the 577 candidates who won in their constituency. Here are the numbers broken down according to categories used by the ministry:

The complete list of successful candidates can be found here.

2024 French elections: seat shares

A Flourish data visualization by samar

The leader of the centre-right European People's Party group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for the election results.

"Far from clarifying the political situation, Macron plunged France into confusion, strengthening the extremes. Very worried about the far left & far right anti-EU rhetoric," Weber wrote on X.

"We need a strong democratic force @lesRepublicains giving a real alternative to put France back on its feet," he added.

Dissident Republicans, who refused the alliance with the far-right National Rally engineered by their president Eric Ciotti, scored 39 seats in the new National Assembly. They had 61 before the dissolution.

Laurent Wauquiez, the president of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes regional council and a powerful figure in the party, has already said he would enter "no coalition and no compromise".

In his latest piece, our colleague Aleksandar Brezar reveals how the Kremlin attempted to interfere in the French legislative elections. Their goal was to create chaos and confusion, swaying voters to favor parties less hostile to Russian policies.

Russian propaganda deployed various tactics ahead of the elections, including social media manipulation, the use of deep fakes, and the spread of fake news. They even impersonated credible media outlets and the website of President Macron's party, Renaissance, falsely offering €100 for votes to make it seem like the elections were rigged.

Particularly disturbing acts of intimidation were also carried out in France, aimed at targeting specific communities to fuel political polarization. Examples include the painting of Stars of David and bloody hands on walls, as well as coffins placed under the Eiffel Tower. Initially reported by the media, these acts were later identified as orchestrated by Russian services.

For more on this story, click here ⤵️

Why did the Russian disinformation machine target French voters?

For the Kremlin, the National Rally — whose stances on Russia are friendlier than those of President Macron, a staunch supporter of Ukraine — might have been t…

Speaking to French TV channel BFMTV, Manon Aubry - who led the electoral list of the far-left France Unbowed in June’s European election - asserted that the New Popular Front will unite behind one candidate for the role of prime minister.

“I want the New Popular Front to present a common name and we will work on this collectively,” Aubry said.

“I told you there are many options but we need that option to have consensus within the NFP - so you can speculate but I won't play that game until we have a common name to present,” she added. 

“I want us to present a prime minister and that the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron sees reason and admits defeat and appoints a prime minister, and ultimately a government that will start to work for the French people.”

Aubry hails from the France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the biggest party within the New Popular Front. But it’s also the most radical and therefore unlikely to be able to pact with parties outside the leftist alliance.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has accused centrist and left-wing parties of "manipulating" French voters, the Moscow Times reports.

In what can be taken as a sign of president Putin's displeasure at the thwarting of a far-right victory in the legislative election, Peskov said the Kremlin was not hopeful of improved diplomatic ties with Paris.

President Macron has been among the most outspoken advocates for taking a hard line on Russia over its war on Ukraine, and earlier this year refused to rule out sending troops to assist in the defence of the beleaguered country.

Far-right Rassemblement National figurehead Marine Le Pen has been repeatedly criticised for a perceived pro-Russia stance and expressions of admiration for its president.

Kremlin Not Expecting Better Ties with France After Election - The Moscow Times

Moscow does not “have any particular hope” for improved ties with Paris following France’s snap parliamentary election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on…

Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, has been appointed as the president of the newly-formed far-right Patriots group in the European Parliament, Gerardo Fortuna reports.

The alliance counts 84 MEPs making it the third-largest group in the hemicycle and succeeds Identity and Democracy (ID), which has now disbanded due to member parties defecting.

Besides France's RN, Patriots is also home to Italy’s Lega, Hungary's Fidesz, Czechia's ANO, Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), Spain’s far-right Vox, the Dutch nationalist PVV, Belgium’s Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang, Portugal’s Chega!, and the Danish People’s Party.

Bardella's role as president is comparable to the chief whip.

Far-right Patriots group springs to third force in European Parliament

Viktor Orbán’s nationalist ‘Patriots for Europe’ group has been officially established in the European Parliament today, boasting 84 MEPs making it the third-l…

The French Green party gained a record 33 members of the Assembly, according to a press release from the party's delegation to the Senate, France's upper chamber.

The green grouping, also known as the Europe Ecology party, is part of the left-wing New Popular Front bloc, which took a total of 178 of the National Assembly's 577 lawmakers. (The interior ministry also notes one Green candidate who successfully stood outside of the NFP umbrella.)

The result is a "victory for democracy", said the statement by Senate Greens, saying voters had stood against racism and in favour of "a plan for environmental and social justice and democratic renewal".

The success stands in stark contrast to the results of June's European elections, which reduced the cohort of the French green MEPs from twelve to five.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed relief at France having "averted" the need for cooperation in government with right-wing populists, reports the newspaper Tagesspiegel citing the press agency DPA.

Speaking of his "good personal relationship" with Emmanuel Macron, and friendship between the EU's two largest member states, he said he hoped the incumbent French president and politicians newly elected to France's National Assembly would succeed in forming a stable government.

"Germany is more interested in the success of the European Union than any other country," Scholz was quoted as saying. "This can only be done together with France."

Zusammenarbeit mit Rechtspopulisten „abgewandt“: Scholz ist erleichtert über den Wahlausgang in Frankreich

Im großen EU-Land Frankreich drohte eine rechte Regierung. Dass die Wahl am Sonntag anders ausging, sorgt auch in Deutschland für Durchatmen.

French stock markets remain volatile as investors are unsure what to think of France's leftist victory.

After a modest fall in early trading, shares in the CAC 40 showed a strong rebound, only to fall sharply just before 11am CET. Prices have since been fluctuating.

Despite the uncertain road ahead for French politics, certain analysts have nonetheless pointed out that the country's impending gridlock could actually be appeasing some investors.



If the left struggles to remain unified, Mélenchon won't have easy access to the state coffers. This means his more radical policies could fall by the wayside.

French stocks volatile after far-left surprise election success

Share prices churn in France after uncertainty hangs over the country’s political future although bonds remain relatively steady.

Bruno Le Maire, France's economy since 2017, wrote in a lengthy statement on X that France faces "three major risks" following the snap legislative elections.

"The most immediate risk is a financial crisis and the economic decline of France," he said, arguing that should the "exorbitant, ineffective and outdated" programme of the left-wing New Popular Front be rolled out it would "destroy the results of the policy we have pursued for seven years, which has given France jobs, attractiveness and factories".

He named the second risk as "the nation's ideological divide", which if left to fester would lead to "deadlock and regime crisis", his third risk.

"All the political forces that believe in the market economy, in the recovery of public finances, in the energy transition, in European integration and in the unwavering restoration of the authority of the State must therefore set aside their partisan interests to pursue the essential transformation of our economic and social model and assert our power," he concluded.

Le Maire, 55, joined Macron's party in 2017 when the president came into office. He previously belonged to the right-wing The Republicans (LR) party and held multiple ministerial positions under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy.

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Gabriel Attal to continue as prime minister for "the time being", the Elysée has confirmed to multiple French outlets.

Macron said this was needed for "the stability of the country".

Attal went to the presidential palace at around 11.30 am this morning to formally offer his resignation to Macron, after their centrist Ensemble coalition lost its relative majority in the National Assembly in snap legislative elections.

The 34-year-old had said on Sunday evening that his resignation was "in keeping with republican tradition and in accordance with my principles" but that he would continue his role "for as long as my duty requires."

When the exit poll revealed a surprise victory for France’s left-wing alliance in Sunday’s snap legislative poll, there were sighs of relief in many corners of Europe.

That's because a far-right government aiming to rein in support to Ukraine and row back on environmental policies would have disrupted the overall political direction of the European Union.

But experts tell Euronews that with a hung parliament and no clear route to a governing coalition, the political gridlock in Paris still casts uncertainty over France’s ability to wield its influence in Brussels.

The left-wing New Popular Front alliance is also deeply divided on the extent to which the EU should prop up Ukraine militarily, meaning that Brussels will be watching closely as efforts to piece together a governable programme begin.

What does the French left’s shock election win mean for Europe?

Experts say the anti-far-right bulwark has safeguarded the European bloc from a political shock. #EuropeNews

Clément Beaune, who is close to President Emmanuel Macron, has taken to the X social media platform to share what he thinks are the "three keywords to build on, today and tomorrow".

"Coalition, proportionality, social democracy," he wrote.

This would suggest that should Macron's centrist Ensemble and the left-wing New Popular Front strike a coalition deal, they should get roughly the same number of portfolios in the government.

The NFP secured 182 seats while Ensemble retained 168 seats.

Beaune, a former minister of transport, was defeated in the first round of the elections on June 30.

French President Emmanuel Macron "must admit his defeat" and cannot be the one to pick the next government, Socialist leader Olivier Faure said.

Speaking on Franceinfo television, Faure said that "the reality is that the presidential camp only got away with it because we, ourselves, called on the Republican front in the second round."

The New Popular Front (NFP) coalition was the "only possible barrier" to the far right and the only coalition that "consistently" withdrew their third-placed candidates in triangular contests.

"We were the only ones to apply it in full, the LR did not apply it at all, and the Macronists did it but not everywhere," he said.

The results, which saw NFP cause a surprise by coming in first, are proof that "there is a massive rejection of what was achieved by Emmanuel Macron.

"So we are not going to put Emmanuel Macron back in the saddle, that would be total absurdity. And what will that lead to? This would lead to such disgust among the French that we would be fuelling the extreme right," he added.

"The alternative is not the extreme right and it never will be. On the other hand, today there is a left which is ready to govern, which will do so with clarity and which will seek to find majorities in parliament," he also said.

Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, has welcomed the NFP's victory.

"My French socialist friends and comrades show that it is possible to stop the far right by uniting the left," she wrote on X.

"The results are clear: by placing the New Popular Front in the lead in the seats in the National Assembly, the French people mobilized to defend the Republic from the dangers that awaited it. A historic moment, for France, and for Europe!"

Bas Eickout, the co-president of the Green group in Brussels, more cryptically wrote: "For a majority, Macron and Mélenchon must work together....".

As part of the broad New Popular Front, the Ecologistes look to have increased their weight in the French National Assembly from 22 to 28 seats. Climate campaigners had been concerned a victory for the National Rally would mean an end to the energy transition and proactive environment policy more broadly.

Here’s what some of them have been saying:

Friederike Roder, vice-president, Global Citizen:

“Despite the uncertainties surrounding the constitution of the next government, France has the opportunity to form a new majority resolutely committed to the fight against climate change…This will involve speeding up the energy transition at home while increasing funding to help the poorest countries, notably by strengthening the financial transaction tax supported by both President Emmanuel Macron and the New Popular Front.”

Neil Makaroff, director of the Strategic Perspectives think tank:

“This French election is a wake-up call for European leaders. It's time to take action to tackle deindustrialisation, under-investment and households' energy bills, which have risen due to a costly dependence on imports of gas, oil and coal.”

Champa Patel, policy director, Climate Group

“The country can now continue to build on the progress made to date such as the enhanced production of renewable energy, renovation of buildings for better energy efficiency or the social leasing measure giving low-income households access to electric vehicles, or greening quotas for corporate fleets.''

Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation:



“What a relief!”

The French president has yet to break his silence over the result of the snap election he called after a drubbing by the far-right in the EU election last month. His last public social media post, apart from a picture of him casting his vote yesterday, was a congratulatory tweet to the French football squad for overcoming Portugal in an 'intense match' last Friday.

Mohamed Amyn, a 24-year-old PhD student who campaigned for the left-wing coalition, told Euronews on election night at the Green Party headquarters that he thought the far right would win and was "so happy" that Jordan Bardella would not lead the government.

"Being of (Moroccan descent) and being a Muslim in France, I'm so happy. I can't be anything but happy," Amyn said.

He added that campaigning in a rural district in Normandy was "really hard" with many left-wing voters saying that the rise of the far-right National Rally had contributed to more racist speech during the campaign.

"My father is Moroccan, my mother is from Italy. I was born and raised in France but still, we can tell that I am [of North African descent]. It was really hard during this campaign but I'm really glad we won because we had to overcome everything to see people, to reach everyone and I think we did," Amyn said.

François Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem party that belongs to Macron's Ensemble coalition, said this morning that the left-wing parties that together form the New Popular Front (NFP) have "attitudes and political choices that are incompatible with each other".

He also criticised the programme the NFP came up with in the days immediately following the dissolution of the National Assembly as "incompatible with what a very large number of French people think about the future of France" and with the European Union.

While he welcomed the fact that the far-right National Rally failed to come out on top, he also stressed that "this does not mean that we will have to forget what these voters said in the first round in particular".

"And are there possibilities to hear and find new ways so that they can be certain that as French citizens we hear them, we have heard their difficulties, their anxieties," he also said on France Inter radio.

Tara Varma, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Euronews that she had two conclusions in reaction to the election results: first that a block against the far right exists and second that there could be a return to a right-left divide.

"The least predictable scenario is the one that won," Varma said, referring to the left-wing coalition the New Popular Front (NFP) winning the most seats in parliament.

Now the "challenge is really to know if (the left-wing coalition) can agree on a prime minister and if (President Emmanuel Macron) will follow."

She added that Greens Party leader Marine Tondelier was a revelation in the campaign, contributing to mobilising the left especially due to her knowledge of being in opposition to the far-right National Rally in local politics.

Unsurprisingly all the French newspapers are leading with the results of the elections.

Left-leaning daily Libération splashes with New Popular Front's victory. "It's crazy," it writes.

The economic broadsheet Les Echos led meanwhile with the far-right defeat, labelling it: "The slap".

Newspaper Le Parisien, meanwhile, headlined its edition with "And now, what do we do?" and a picture of embattled French President Emmanuel Macron.

Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens Party, admitted that the next steps after the election will not be simple, with an unprecedented political situation in France.

While the left-wing coalition has won the most seats in France's National Assembly, they have fewer seats than the outgoing presidential coalition, and the alliance came together very quickly after President Emmanuel Macron called for a snap election.

"We are not in a normal moment, we have an unprecedented political situation... there is no absolute majority for anyone," Tondelier told France Inter on Monday morning. "It won't be simple."

The Greens leader, who has become a prominent voice on the left, did not have a response to the question of who from the left-wing coalition could be chosen as prime minister but said that she expected the French president to ask the alliance to propose one.

"No it's not going to be simple, no it's not going to be easy, no it's not going to be comfortable," she said, adding that the coalition needed to work calmly and that it would take a bit of time.

Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, meanwhile, told broadcaster Franceinfo that everyone had their place and role in the coming discussions from leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon to former president François Hollande. He said the left now needed to address how they would govern.

"In order to bring together the French, we must bring together the left," Faure said.

National Rally president and prime ministerial hopeful Jordan Bardella has described the outcome as " the most important breakthrough in its entire history", despite placing third behind the left-green New Popular Front and Macronistes. Here's my colleague Alice Tidey's hot take on what lies in store for the party formerly known as the National Front and steered towards the mainstream by Marine Le Pen.

RN stumbles in French legislative vote but sets sight on 2027 ballot

The left-wing New Popular Front coalition was the surprise winner of Sunday’s snap legislative elections in France with Macron’s centrist coalition coming in s…

Here's my colleague Lauren Chadwick's take on the dilemma now facing the diverse left-wing coalition:

French left-wing campaigners ‘relieved’ but uncertain for future

There was relief among many left-wing voters after they were projected to get the most seats in France’s lower house of parliament, but some are worried about…

Here's the confirmed seat count in France's new National Assembly:

New Popular Front (NFP), left-wing/green alliance: 182

Ensemble, president Macron's centrist/liberal group: 168

National Rally (RN), far-right: 143

The Republicans (LR), centre-right: 45

Other right: 15

Other left: 13

Other centre: 6

Regionalists: 4

Others: 1

Good morning! This is Robert Hodgson on Euronews' policy desk.

Well, that was quite an evening. Relief, frustration, joy and anger in France - from the moment the first exit polls suggested Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement Nationale had not merely failed to come top, but trailed in third place behind president Macron's liberal coalition and a triumphant left-wing alliance in the second and final round of the legislative election.

Surprise was another common theme last night. As recently as Friday, pollster Ipsos was predicting RN would come out on top with 175-205 of 577 seats in the National Assembly, the lower chamber of the French parliament.

Stay with us today as we follow the aftermath of an election whose impact will be felt across the EU and beyond. Cohabitation is the word they use in France to describe an uneasy political arrangement where the president is of a different political stripe to the parliament. Next question: who is going to be prime minister?

Phew, what an eventful night it's been.

The anti-far-right alliance defied all the odds, pushing the pollsters' initial favourites - Marine Le Pen's National Rally - into third place.

To recap, the left-wing coalition the New Popular Front has come out on top and is expected to win between 177-192 seats, according to estimates, with Macron's centrist Ensemble group taking home 152-158.

The National Rally is expected to get between 138 and 145 seats, followed by the Republicans with anything from 63 to 67.

This means that we're in hung parliament territory.

With emotions both good and bad running high across France (and many taking to the streets to either celebrate or cause upheaval), tomorrow is sure to be another eventful day - we'll be back bright and early with another live blog to keep you up to speed.

From all of us in Brussels, Paris and our other bureaus around Europe, thanks for tuning in and good night!

Gabriel Attal, who earlier tonight announced he would formally hand in his resignation on Monday after his centrist coalition lost its relative majority, has retained his seat in the tenth constituency of the Hauts-de-Seine.

According to Interior ministry data, Attal won 58.2% of the vote against a socialist candidate running under the New Popular Front banner.

Here are some more reactions from other European countries, this time Germany.

Many there are also picking up on the fact that France's apparent swing to the left follows that of the UK earlier this week, which they say gives "hope" for their own country and the rest of the continent.

Relief in Germany over French parliamentary elections turnaround

With most major politicians holding back until the official results are in, the extraordinary turnaround away from a looming hard-right government indicated by…

The euro fell 0.3% in early Asian trading after France announced the shock results of its legislative elections.

Markets had recently rallied on the belief that the right-wing National Rally was not set to take an absolute majority, but investors now have new faces on the left to fret over.



French election shock sparks euro slip after victory for the left

An unexpected victory for the leftist New Popular Front causes the euro to fall as markets fear a radical spending spree.

Laurent Wauquiez, a former leader of the right-wing The Republicans (LR) party, who ran as a dissident after refusing to join the alliance with the far-right engineered by the party's current leader, has said he will not join a governing coalition.

As no party has secured the 289 seats needed to govern alone, and no new legislative elections can be called for the next 12 months, a coalition between multiple parties will be needed for a government to be created.

"I can see the temptation to negotiate and combine to build unnatural majorities. That will be without us. Our democracy has suffered too much from this. It is this confusion and permanent vagueness that have brought France to where it is today," Wauquiez wrote on X.

"The 'at the same time' approach is dead tonight, and anyone who wants to prolong it behind the backs of voters will be discredited tomorrow. France can only recover with clarity. For us, there will be no coalition and no compromise," he added.

Wauquiez, who was a government spokesperson and minister of higher education under president Nicolas Sarkozy, remains a powerful figure in the LR. He is currently president of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes regional council.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, leader of the centre-left PSOE party, has congratulated both the UK and France for rejecting right-wing politics this week.

"This week, two of the biggest countries in Europe have chosen the same path that Spain chose a year ago: rejection of the far right and a firm commitment to a social left that tackles people's problems with serious and courageous policies," he said in a post on X. 

"The United Kingdom and France have said YES to progress and social progress and NO to backtracking on rights and freedoms," he added. "The far right cannot be negotiated or governed with."

Bicycles burn during tensions near Republique plaza following the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard

Police officers stand by burning bicycles during tensions near Republique plaza following the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Paris. AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard

Police officers stand by burning bicycles during tensions near Republique plaza following the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard

Fabien Roussel, leader of the Communist party, which is part of the victorious left-wing New Popular Front coalition told French television he plans to "immediately put the repeal of retirement at 64 on the agenda".

The pension reform, which pushed back the legal age of retirement by two years, was only approved in April 2023 after the government used article 43.9 that allows it to ram though a law without a vote.

But things ultimately stay the same, according to Ipsos. The New Popular Front is still ahead with an expected 177 to 192 seats, followed by the Ensemble coalition with 152 to 158 seats, and then the National Rally with between 138 and 145 seats.

Fireworks go off as people stand in Republique Plaza and react to the projection of results during the second round of the legislative elections, in Paris, France. AP Photo/Christophe Ena

People gather at the Republique plaza after the second round of the legislative election, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. AP Photo/Louise Delmotte

The results are still coming in and you can keep up to date with who has won where with our live, interactive map.

Just click the link below!

French second-round election results: Live map by constituency

Follow the final results in every town and city on our interactive map. #EuropeNews

Commentators, celebrities and social media users have taken to X to draw parallels between France and the UK's mutual rejection of the far-right and swing to the left in their respective elections.

BREAKING
FAR RIGHT REJECTED in France after tactical voting between Left-Green Alliance in 1st place and Macron’s party in 2nd place

Far right with Le Pen in third

Just as in the UK, the country has gone centre and left 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/t1TfjhSeHd

— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) July 7, 2024

The projected victory of left-wing alliance the New Popular Front, followed by Macron's centrist Ensemble coalition in second place ahead of the far-right National Rally in third, comes a few days after the the centre-left Labour Party won a landslide number of seats in the UK's general election.

So, in the end, both France and Britain voted against the far-right.
Doesn't mean the threat is gone, but pay attention to the center, center left, green and center right voters who are still the majority in Europe, everywhere except Hungary.

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) July 7, 2024

Labour's victory threw out the right-wing Conservative Party, which had governed the country for 14 years. While they still came in second and the far-right Reform Party saw a significant swell in support, picking up five seats along the way, the pro-European centrist Liberal Democrat Party experienced a significant revival, reaching a record-breaking 72 seats in parliament. The Green Party also enjoyed success, picking up four seats.

The left crushed the right in the UK. 🇬🇧
The left crushed the right in France. 🇫🇷

We will do the same in November. 🇺🇸

— Billy Baldwin (@BillyBaldwin) July 7, 2024

Eyes now turn across the pond, where liberal voices hope that the Democrats can slip over the line, giving President Joe Biden another term in office and keeping out the Republicans' Donald Trump.

i do not post this image lightly pic.twitter.com/LAPxKUHt8T

— Dan D (@DanDeBrak) July 7, 2024

Demonstrators set off smoke flares as they react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Nantes, western France.Pictures coming from cities across France show a country divided.

While some crowds in Paris celebrate, others in Lyon and Nantes demonstrate against tonight's results.

Police chase demonstrators during reactions to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Nantes, western France. AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez



Demonstrators run from smoke flares during reactions to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, July 7, 2024. AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani



People gather at the Republique plaza after the second round of the legislative election, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. AP Photo/Louise Delmotte



Demonstrators set off smoke flares as they react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Nantes, western France. AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez

People stand in Republique Plaza as they react to the projection of results during the second round of the legislative elections, in Paris, France. Banner at centre reads "France is the fabric of migration." AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Former President François Hollande has rejected suggestions that he may form a government and become prime minister, following his election to the National Assembly.

"To be in a government, don't you have to be a candidate to lead it? I'm not one", he said on BFM-TV.

He added that his previous experience may make him useful in strengthening France's foreign policy, "ensuring that France's interests are preserved," he said to France 2.

François Hollande will be the second former head of state to sit in the National Assembly, after Valéry Giscard d'Estaing did so in 1984.

"The defeat of the president of the Republic and his coalition is clearly confirmed," Jean-Luc Mélenchon has said. "The president must bow to this defeat and admit it without attempting to avoid it by any means whatsoever."

‘New Popular Front is ready to govern,’ says victorious Mélenchon

Mélenchon addresses the nation after what he dubbed an “impossible” election victory. #EuropeNews

Ouch... the National Rally's Jordan Bardella tears into the tactical withdrawals that took place following his party's huge success in the first round.

This is perhaps a lesson in the significant value that tactical voting can have in stopping parties that you don't want to win.

Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Rally, which is predicted to come third according to shock preliminary predictions, has declared that the party's victory has only been deferred for now.

"The tide is rising," she told reporters. "It didn't rise high enough this time, but it continues to rise and, as a result, our victory is only postponed," she said on French channel TF1.

"I have too much experience to be disappointed by a result where we double our number of MPs," she added.

Far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen answers a television network after the second round of the legislative election, Sunday, July 7, 2024 at the party election night headquarters in Paris. AP Photo/Louise Delmotte

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says he will hand his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow, "in accordance with tradition", but that he will continue to exercise his duties "for as long as duty requires".

He's only held the post since January, but in a speech to the press, Attal said that being prime minister has been "the honour of his life".

"I know that, in the light of tonight's results, many French people are feeling a degree of uncertainty about the future, since there is no absolute majority," Attal said. "Our country is experiencing an unprecedented political situation and is preparing to welcome the world in a few weeks' time," said Attal, referencing the Olympic Games, scheduled to start in a few weeks.

"Tonight marks the start of a new era," he added.

The election results do indeed leave the political situation uncertain, with the question of who will succeed Attal having no clear answer.

Cyrielle Chatelain, president of the Green Party group in France's National Assembly, told Euronews that seeing the far-right National Rally (RN) with fewer seats than they had thought was a "relief".

She said the favourable results were a surprise, with tears in her eyes.

"I was with Marine (president of the Greens) when we had the results, it was yes [a surprise]. I could tell you that we knew it was coming, but it's not true, we were campaigning with a knot in our stomachs because every day we met people within the ambit of the National Rally's programme," she told Euronews.

"To see them with fewer votes than we thought, it was a relief," she added.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk appears to celebrate the results in France, taking a swipe at the far-right's alleged ties to Russia and suggesting that France's continued support for Ukraine is assured.

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) appears to have come top - but how does that coalition break down?

According to Ipsos, the biggest delegation will be France Unbowed, the hard-left party led by firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, which is tipped to take 68-74 seats. It's closely followed by the Socialist Party, at 63-69. The Greens have 32-36 and the Communist Party 10-12, the exit poll showed.

The NFP coalition was hastily assembled after the election was called in early June and contains a wide range of political views.

Treated as a bloc, it's significant, but importantly, none of those individual parties would have as much representation as either the far-right National Rally or President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance, which is expected to take around 100 seats and which also forms part of the wider centrist Ensemble coalition.

Screams of joy erupted at the Green party's election night gathering as the initial exit polls showed a relative majority for the left-wing coalition.

Chants of "Popular Front" were heard in a small, crowded room of journalists and campaigners as the party's politicians entered.

"Today, social justice won. Tonight, environmental justice won, and tonight, the people have won," said Marine Tondelier, head of the Greens party.

Tondelier, from the northern far right-led city of Hénin Beaumont, has emerged as a leader in this left-wing coalition, calling for candidates to withdraw from runoff races to prevent the far-right from winning. She has often come up against the far-right National Rally in local politics.

"Voters were [present] to create a 'Republican block'," said Tondelier.

"The New Popular Front was born here in these offices less than four weeks ago. We needed to do it, and not only did we do it, but we won and now we will govern," she added.

She said they were determined to put in place a programme of "disruption".

Take a look at these pictures from Paris and Lyon, where supporters of the Socialist Party, France Unbowed and other left-wing parties celebrate the projected results.

Supporters of the Socialist Party react after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024 at their election night headquarters in Paris. AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard

A person waves the French flag as people react to the projection of results after the second round of the legislative elections, near Republique Plaza in Paris, France. AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Supporters of the far-left La France Insoumise - LFI - (France Unbowed) party wave flags, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. AP Photo/Thomas Padilla

A man walks down the street as people react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, July 7, 2024. AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani

People react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, July 7, 2024. AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani

Former French President François Hollande has been elected as MP to the National Assembly for the constituency of Corrèze in central France.

Estimates put him at winning 43.29% of the vote, ahead of the National Rally candidate with 31.43% and the Republicans candidate with 25.28%.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, infamous for her repeated use of France's article 49.3 to ram laws through parliament, has been reelected in her constituency of Calvados in the northwest. She took home 56.37% of the vote.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has also announced his reelection to the Nord constituency in a post on X.

AP Photo/Michel Euler

The 8 pm exit poll was met at the far-right National Rally (RN) electoral night fete with disappointment and disbelief.

The party, which had consistently been polling in the lead, is now projected to come second behind the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition.

The RN is expected to secure between 120 and 150 seats, well below the absolute majority of 289 seats its leaders had insisted it could get.

Romain, 50, attributed the results to the so-called “Republican front” orchestrated by the centrist and left-wing coalitions to block the RN from gaining as many seats as possible.

“In any case, there is no majority in the National Assembly, it's a waste of time. So, unfortunately, it's France that's going to suffer,” he added. 

“For the National Rally, there will be several dozen people who will be prepared for office even better. So we'll be more and more credible by 2027,” he added.

Quentin Hoarau, who ran for the party in the fifth constituency of the Val d’Oise, told Euronews that “it's still a historic score, which shows that the National Rally is really taking root everywhere.”

Hoarau, 28, joined the party seven years ago, convinced by Marine Le Pen’s efforts to reform it. 

“The reason I joined the movement is quite simply because I'm a French patriot and I think that we're the only ones who can carry the voice of hope and represent the people of France,” he added;

His friend, Raphael, told Euronews he believes the party could grow further if President Emmanuel Macron decides to dissolve the parliament again in a year.

“And there are still the presidential elections to come, so we’re not giving up hope of continuing."

“It’s also a chance for the national gathering to continue its preparations,” he said.

Jordan Bardella, the National Rally’s pick to be prime minister, spoke of an “alliance of dishonour” in a speech given after exit polls suggest his party might come third, despite topping the count in the first round last week. 

“Political alliances against nature,” unifying Macronists with the far left, have prevented French people from choosing a different future, Bardella said.

Over 200 candidates pulled out of their races earlier this week to avoid the anti-RN vote being split, allowing the left-wing NFP alliance to surge into first place, at least according to exit polls. 

However, Bardella maintains that his far-right party is the “only alternative” to the political consensus and that its strong performance indicated victory in future. 

Euronews' Lauren Chadwick is at The Greens HQ in Paris, where crowds erupted into cheers and tears of joy upon the announcement of the exit polls at 8 pm.

With the exit poll out, here's how the projected seat shares look in the National Assembly.

BREAKING: Anti-far right alliance routs Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in shock reverse - hung parliament expected in Paris.

Exit poll results according to IPSOS:

New Popular Front: 172-192 seats

Ensemble: 150-170 seats

National Rally: 132-152 seats

French elections: Shock exit poll put left-wing alliance in lead

The far-right National Rally would see a significant rise in its seat share, Ipsos predicts, but tactical voting foiled chances of an absolute majority. #Europ…

Alexandre, a 30-year-old consultant in Paris who voted for "centrists', said that he felt France was either at one extreme or the other.

"I think it's due to years of politics where people are disappointed and a context that not's great that leads to this ... it's a bit sad to say," he said.

"It's polarised," 30-year-old Alicia, who also lives in Paris, added. "We have the feeling that no one is seeing themselves anywhere and so we should test what hasn't been tested which is not the most convincing argument," she added.

"We are waiting to see what will happen," she said, adding that even if "extremes" arrive in power, there are limits imposed in Europe by different institutions.

Several militants for the far-right National Rally (RN) gathered for the party's electoral night just outside Paris told Euronews that their main concerns heading into these elections were the cost of living and security.

Luna, a political sciences student, told Euronews: "My priority is immigration issues. The Rassemblement National is one of the parties, along with Reconquête, to make the direct link between insecurity and immigration, something that the other parties don't do."

The 20-year-old said her mother, who is from Congo, has no issue with her political stance.

"It's one of those insults that people dole out at the RN too easily, without any proof in fact, and above all, you have to distinguish between two types of immigration, illegal and legal. My mother came to France to study medicine, at no point did she come illegally."

Meanwhile, RN's ideas on the cost of living are what attracted Mr Labrevoir to the party.

A former socialist voter, the 53-year-old rallied RN in February and told Euronews the far-right party "is the most likely to bring new ideas and take things in hand."

Police vans are now parked outside France's National Assembly building in Paris as the second round enters its final stages.

Politicians have warned of potential violence tonight once the results come out and have urged citizens to take necessary precautions.

An exit poll is expected at 8 pm CET.

AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Erwan, a 22-year-old Black man who grew up in Paris, told Euronews that he was very worried about the election results tonight.

"It's weird to say, but I have a hard time feeling French because I know that I'm not accepted by the National Rally party," he said.

It's not just RN, according to Erwan: racism was increasingly present in France, he added.

Every country has its own way of dealing with how its citizens abroad vote in elections and France is no different.

The approximately 2.5 million people not living in the country are represented in the National Assembly by 11 MPs, each corresponding to a different region of the world. They're voted in by in-person voting, online voting, or mail-in ballots.

Euronews spoke to some of the candidates vying for these votes to shed light on the whole thing.

French elections: Candidates abroad vie for ex-pat votes

French citizens living abroad are represented in the National Assembly through the election of 11 of the 577 deputies, each representing a different region of…

Changes in government often shake up a country's economy, for better or worse.

A majority for Marine Le Pen's National Rally and its allies would of course allow them to try and bring in their radical policy agenda, but experts predict that market dynamics and EU regulations would likely prevent a worst-case scenario.

But with a hung parliament looking like the most probable outcome at the moment, any economic policy is likely to be further hamstrung by political deadlock, according to analysts.

They say that, at the very least, this would help France avoid a "Liz Truss/UK-style fiscal crisis".

Read more on Euronews Business.

What are the economic stakes in France’s second round election?

Analysts concur that fiscal risks for France would increase if Marine Le Pen’s National Rally secures an absolute majority, though latest polls suggest this ou…

French football star Kylian Mbappé ventured into the political arena earlier this week when he urged voters to unite against the RN.

“We cannot let our country fall into the hands of these people,” he said of Le Pen and Bardella. “It is pressing. We saw the results, it’s catastrophic. We really hope it’s going to change: that everyone is going to rally together, go and vote, and vote for the correct party.”

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Le Pen said Mbappé was a "very good" footballer but argued that it is not his place to give voting instructions.

“French people are fed up with being lectured and advised on how to vote,” she said.

With fewer than two hours to go until the exit poll is released, it is still unclear if the centrist Ensemble coalition of President Emmanuel Macron will hold an electoral night.

It has yet to communicate to journalists if Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will speak and if so from where.

This is unlike the far-right National Rally, which is leading in the polls, and several left-wing parties, which communicated who from their camp would be speaking and crucially, from where.

Last Sunday, its was announced three hours before the exit poll was released that Attal would speak from his party’s headquarters in central Paris. But he ended up making his address from the prime minister’s official residence with no militants or officials in sight.

Polls released on Friday project that Ensemble will arrive third behind the RN and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition. A poll by Toluna Harris for RTL, M6 and Challenges predicted Ensemble will only retain between 115 and 145 seats (down from its 245 seats before the dissolution). 

It will therefore have to strike a coalition deal with other forces if it hopes to remain in government. 

This evening we'll be looking out for some famous faces who might be forced out of the National Assembly, potentially including former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, from President Macron's Renaissance Party.

Borne finished eight points behind her RN rival Nicolas Calbrix in the first round of the election last week; she scored 28.93% of the vote.

The withdrawal of the left-wing France Unbowed candidate Noé Gauchard could help her case, although it’s not certain that Gauchard’s supporters will rally behind Borne.

This is especially true given the ex-PMs role in reforming France’s pension system, a move which leaves her a divisive legacy.

A voté ! 🗳️✅ pic.twitter.com/x6F9JOaSar

— Élisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) July 7, 2024



Other candidates who could be booted out include Olivier Marleix of The Republicans, Socialist Vice-President of the Assembly Valérie Rabault, and former Minister of Health and Renaissance politician Olivier Véran.

Unlike Borne, analysts believe that current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is likely to retain his seat in the Hauts de Seine constituency, although he is set to lose his spot as PM.

Last week, Attal managed to win 43.85% of the vote.

Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, has urged citizens to take care this evening ahead of potential violence from the far-right.

"The extreme right doesn't like democracy," he said in a post on X. "It anticipates its defeat and calls for violence."

His post points to a list of protests that have been supposedly shared in neo-Nazi groups, with instructions to carry out violent racist attacks.

Faure's post on X came shortly after Marine Tondelier, national secretary of The Greens, shared similar concerns linked to the same planned protests.

A bit of shameless self-promotion from me as I usually work for The Cube, Euronews' fact-checking programme, but it's important to reiterate that elections are often a hotbed for false claims and misinformation online.

Here are some examples we saw earlier this week, ahead of both the French and UK elections.

Fake news batters UK and France ahead of elections

Both sets of votes are expected to shake up each country’s political direction, but as usual, there’s plenty of disinformation making the rounds, particularly…

Leader of the RN Marine Le Pen told Europe 1-CNews on Friday that her party has "a serious chance of gaining an absolute majority" in France's legislative elections.

This would mean gaining at least 289 seats out of a total 577.

Le Pen’s statement appears optimistic following the first round of voting, where the RN won 33% of the popular vote.

A number of left and centre candidates have also withdrawn in certain constituencies after the first round of voting. This could help to unite voters against the far right.

Earlier this month, Le Pen’s wingman Jordan Bardella said he would refuse to be appointed if his party didn’t gain an absolute majority.

Le Pen has since suggested otherwise. If the RN were to win around 270 seats, just shy of a majority, the President of the RN claimed she would be open to negotiating with individual MPs from other groups.

Some key figures from the presidential coalition are hoping to hold their seats including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, equality minister Aurore Bergé, and public functions minister Stanislas Guerini.

Former French President François Hollande is hoping to now become an MP in Corrèze in southwestern France.



Hollande faces a far-right and a right-wing candidate in a three-way runoff on Sunday.

Another runoff race that’s had a lot of buzz is that of François Ruffin in Somme in northern France.

The well-known MP, who is a former journalist and who has made documentaries about the working class, has said that he would leave his leftist party La France Insoumise (LFI), stating that its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has become a liability.

Ruffin came second in the first round after a far-right National Rally candidate.

As of 5pm local time, voter participation stood at 59.71% for the second round in Metropolitan France (the area of France geographically in Europe).

It's only a very marginal increase from the same time during the first round last Sunday, which came in at 59.39%, but still significantly higher than the 38.1% turnout for the second round of the legislative elections in 2022.

Turnout stood at 26.63% at midday, an increase of 7.5% from 2022, when it was 18.99%. This figure was also up on last Sunday's first round (25.9%), reaching a record high for the second round of legislative elections since 1981.

Euronews' Paris correspondent Sophia Khatsenkova has sent us these telling images from the Champs-Élysées, which has been closed off to cars today.

Several shops and businesses have boarded up their windows and set up barricades in case of riots following tonight's results.

 

The French president called to dissolve parliament in early June after defeat in the European elections, but a political analyst told Euronews that was a mere “pretext” for the snap election.

“Nothing was forcing the president to call for a snap election,” said Delphine Dulong, a professor of political science at the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Dulong added that Macron knew he was doing it in a “dangerous, risky context” with an electorate that is increasingly polarised.

That the snap poll is being held just before the Olympics and could incite social unrest in France was “not very responsible of the president of the Republic,” she added.

“Honestly, I’ve looked for all the scenarios, and for me, there is something absurd [about the decision]. I'm not a psychologist but in my opinion, it's more about psychology than political analysis,” she said.

Dulong offers the explanation that Macron thought he could repeat his “rise from nowhere” in the 2017 elections or that he might have believed that having a prime minister from an opposition party would help him “remake his image”.

Read more of our interview with the political analyst here.

France’s dissolution of parliament is ‘return to normal,’ expert says

Analysts have been trying to speculate as to why President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election. #EuropeNews

We've already shared articles on how France's decision tonight may shake the wider EU, but if you've got your hands full, why not listen to our podcast instead?

In their latest episode, Radio Schuman analyses the future of French influence in Brussels with Thierry Chopin, special advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute.

Listen below.

France Decides: Political Shifts and EU Consequences

In this episode, we dive into the critical second round of France’s parliamentary elections and its potential impact on Europe, featuring insights from Thierry…

Emmanuel Tjibaou has become the first pro-independence MP of New Caledonia, one of France's overseas 'outre-mer' territories', since 1986.

Tjibaou, who won 57% of the vote, is the son of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the Kanak independence leader assassinated in the commune of Ouvéa in 1989.

Interestingly, the overseas territory has held referendums on its future within France in recent years, returning a pro-French result each time. However, the issue of independence remains hotly contested.

The four weeks of campaigning were marred by violence against the politicians and their teams.

Interior minister Gérald Darmanin told French television on Friday morning that “51 candidates, substitutes or activists were physically attacked" during the campaign. But more attacks have since been reported. 

Among those targeted were a RN candidate in Savoie, Marie Dauchy, who was forced to suspend her campaigning in between the two rounds, and government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot, who was targeted while leafleting. Two of her collaborators were wounded.

Officials in Brussels will be carefully watching the outcome of the election, as the surge in far-right support, the steady progress of the left and the crumbling of Macron's coalition has thrown France's political direction into doubt.

With a minority government or even a forced cohabitation (with Macron as president above a prime minister from another party) on the cards, France's role as a strong, stabilising force within the EU may seriously be called into question.

Read more below.

Could a divided government in France harm EU’s stability?

The next French government promises could scramble or slow down the country’s commitments on urgent Europe-wide matters.

There are three main political forces competing in the runoff legislative elections, with one of them likely to have the power to create a possible coalition and form a majority.

For two of those blocs, the far-right National Rally (RN) and the presidential coalition Together or Renaissance, there are clear leaders in Jordan Bardella for the RN and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal for Macron’s coalition.

The left-wing coalition called the New Popular Front (NFP) is a different story with new prominent voices arising from the alliance of four main leftist political parties.

One of those leaders is Marine Tondelier, the Green Party president from the northern city of Hénin Beaumont who has fought against the far-right RN repeatedly in local politics.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has run for president three times already, is another voice on the left - and a controversial figure.

His opponents have heavily criticised his early comments on Israel and Gaza and recent statements seen as downplaying antisemitism. Mélenchon in particular has been singled out as an opponent by the far-right, which called on him to debate Bardella and Attal.



But there are many other MPs and party leaders on the left - here’s our guide to who’s who in the coalition.

Who’s who in France’s left-wing coalition?

While the far-right and centrist camps have clear frontmen leading the charge, multiple faces make up France’s left-wing coalition. #EuropeNews

The surprise snap election in France has led to both heightened interest in the election and speculation about what comes next.

One possible scenario is that the French president will have to pick a prime minister from an opposition party or coalition.

This is called cohabitation, which has occurred three times since the beginning of the Fifth Republic: in 1986, 1993, and 1997.

That final time right-wing President Jacques Chirac was forced to name socialist Lionel Jospin as his prime minister after calling for snap elections.

During that administration, Chirac decided to hold a referendum to change the duration of presidential terms from seven to five years, with a second reform aligning the presidential and legislative elections.

The idea was that the legislative elections would occur directly following the presidential election, often handing the president a majority in parliament and thus reducing the chances of a possible cohabitation.

Emmanuel Macron’s calling of a snap election has now disrupted that calendar with the risk being a difficult three years ahead without a majority in parliament.

France's President Emmanuel Macron was pictured casting his vote earlier today in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France.

In the first round, Macron’s Ensemble coalition achieved just under 21% of the vote, compared to the National Rally's 33% and 28% for the left-wing New Popular Front.

The results of the first round, in which the far-right National Rally (RN) secured over 33% of the vote nationwide, had barely come out before political leaders from the centre and the left called for a “republican front” and “republican withdrawals”.

In practice they were urging their candidates who had qualified for the second round but had come in third behind a RN candidate, to pull out of the race in order to not split the vote in the second round and potentially block the RN from getting the seat.

More than 220 candidates heeded their leader’s calls and withdrew but so-called triangular races are still taking place today in just under 100 constituencies.

Many of those who refused to step down are from the centrist Ensemble coalition, in races where the New Popular Front candidate still in contention hails from France Unbowed (LFI). The hard-left party is deemed as extreme as the RN by many in Macron’s camp. 

France counts 577 constituencies and therefore as many seats in the National Assembly.

But not all 49.5 million French voters need to cast a ballot today as 76 MPs were already elected in the first round by getting over 50% of the vote then.

Of those:

-39 hail from the far-right National Rally and its allies (from The Republicans and Reconquete). This includes Marine Le Pen, the party’s former leader and president of its group in the assembly;

-32 are from the New Popular Front. Of those 20 are from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, the Socialists and Greens each got five MPs, while the Communist party secured two seats;

-two are from the centrist Ensemble coalition of President Emmanuel Macron;

-dissident Republicans, ie, those who refused to join an alliance with the far right, scored one seat;

-two seats went to two other right-wing MPs. 

Thanks for joining our live coverage of the highly-anticipated second round of France's legislative elections 2024. This is reporter James Thomas, coming to you live from Brussels, and together with our colleagues in Paris, Lyon and our other offices around Europe, we'll be keeping you up to date on all the results and news as they come in.