Paris [France], July 8: The French parliamentary election on July 7 is expected to result in a hung parliament, as no party won an absolute majority of votes, and the left-wing coalition unexpectedly took the lead over the far-right, AFP reported on the morning of July 8.
Voters have dealt a major setback to Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front (RN), who finished third in the polls despite polls predicting a second-round victory.
It is also a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who called early elections to clarify the political landscape after the RN's strong showing in last month's European Parliament elections.
Polling organizations predict that the left will win 184-198 seats, Mr Macron's centrist alliance will win 160-169 seats, and the RN will win 135-143 seats. These projections have generally been accurate.
A deeply divided parliament is expected to weaken France's role in the European Union (EU) and the world, as well as making it difficult to pass its domestic agenda.
The parliament is projected to be divided into three main groups, left, centre and right, with vastly different platforms and no tradition of all working together.
What happens next is uncertain. The constitution does not require President Macron to ask the left to form a government, although that would be a common step since it is the largest group in parliament.
The left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) immediately expressed its desire to rule. The coalition's policy is to cap prices on essential goods such as fuel and food, raise the minimum wage to 1,600 euros/month, raise salaries for civil servants and impose taxes on the rich.
"The will of the people must be strictly respected... the president must invite the NFP to govern," according to far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.
The RN has worked under Ms Le Pen to erase its historical reputation for racism and anti-Semitism, but many in French society still see the RN's France-first stance and growing prominence as alarming.
The left-wing coalition is still short of the votes needed to win an outright victory, with a minimum requirement of 289 of the 577 seats in parliament.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he will submit his resignation on July 8, but will continue to work as long as necessary.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper