Written by Lisa Nyambura
Centrists in the camp of Emmanuel Macron triumphed to finish first in the French parliamentary elections, a surprise that shoved aside the far-right National Rally (RN), which ended up taking third place.
The left managed a strong victory, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. However, France is now set for a hung parliament, since none of the three major blocs have taken the 289 seats needed for a majority in the 577-seat parliament.
His coalition that brought together Greens, Socialists, Communists, not to mention Trotskyists, rallied behind their support and insisted the president must acknowledge the loss of his coalition and thus appeal to the New Popular Front to govern. Yet, even with their victory, Mélenchon cannot govern along with his bloc.
It was a bittersweet party for the RN’s, as all their earlier expectations indicated that they would win an out-right majority. A relieved Marine Le Pen acknowledged the surprising pacts against RN, in which over 200 candidates withdrew in favor of opponents to prevent RN from winning.
The first round saw a high 66.63% turnout in the elections, the best for a parliamentary second round since 1997. However, tactical voting worked against RN as they missed key run-offs and were criticized over some of their candidates’ competency.
As France enters this era of political uncertainty, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has resigned but will not step aside until a new government is in place. It is for President Macron to walk the country out of this stalemate, with a new National Assembly set to convene within weeks and the Paris Olympics creeping closer. The left-of-center daily Libération captured the night with its headline “C’est Ouf” — meaning, essentially, that it’s over now, but also a sentiment meant to match the bizarreness of the political moment.
