Election results show that the French left coalition has defeated the far-right.

 

PARIS: Following the surprise of French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of early elections last month, French people were again taken aback when polls closed on Sunday night: the far-right National Party (RN) did not win the majority of parliamentary seats as projected by pollsters. It was not even close.

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At a time when voter turnout was at its highest in over 40 years, early predictions were that the New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing coalition that mobilized rapidly in the days following Macron's announcement of legislative elections, would gain the majority of seats.

The results show that the country has rejected a far-right government outright, the left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared to a crowd of hundreds of supporters in northern Paris on Sunday night. "The will of the people must be strictly respected," Mélenchon said. He declared, "It is obvious that our people have rejected the worst case scenario." "The National Rally does not yet have a definite majority tonight."

According to early results, Macron's centrist Ensemble coalition came in second, followed by the far-right RN, and the left-wing NFP, which had the most seats but lacked the absolute majority required to form government. The final results aren't anticipated until early on Monday morning, but the future of the nation is still up in the air because no party has secured an absolute majority.

About an hour after the results were released on Sunday night, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal tendered his resignation. Macron is likely to face pressure to name a member of the NFP alliance as his replacement.

The elections indicate a clear rejection of a far-right government, with 67.1% of voters casting ballots, the highest percentage in more than 40 years. Even if the RN did achieve the biggest gains in the party's history, charges of racism and antisemitism have marred the campaign.

Supporters at the RN electoral stronghold in eastern Paris watched the first results appear on a huge television screen with amazement and disbelief. Shortly after the initial results were revealed, Joscelin Cousin, a 19-year-old supporter of RN, told NPR, "I'm incredibly disappointed, but democracy has spoken." He remarked, "I suppose people are still afraid of the false caricature image that RN has worked so hard to dispel." As soon as the crowd withdrew, stacks of jubilant champagne flutes were hardly touched.

Party president and youthful protégé Jordan Bardella, 28, was sent by party leader Marine Le Pen to deliver a somber speech addressing the party's lackluster performance. The speaker expressed regret that the French people were denied of a recovery policy due to dishonorable alliances, but emphasized that the party's power struggle was far from over. "The National Rally will support the French people and represents the sole option more than ever. We want to return power to the French people, not take it for its own sake.