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After the surprise of President Emmanuel Macron calling snap elections last month, French voters experienced another twist as polls closed Sunday evening: the far-right National Rally party did not secure the majority of parliamentary seats as predicted.
With voter turnout at its highest in over 40 years, early estimates indicated that the most seats would go to the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition formed shortly after Macron announced the elections.
“The will of the people must be strictly respected,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, to hundreds of supporters in northern Paris on Sunday evening. Declaring the results a victory for the newly formed alliance, he added, “Our people have clearly rejected the worst-case scenario. Tonight, the National Rally is far from having an absolute majority.”
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Early results show the left-wing New Popular Front leading in seats but falling short of an absolute majority needed to govern, with Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition in second place and the far-right National Rally in third. Final results, expected early Monday, leave France’s political future uncertain, with no party securing a clear majority.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal resigned about an hour after Sunday evening’s results were announced, putting pressure on Macron to appoint someone from the leftist coalition.
The elections, marked by a 67.1% turnout, the highest in over 40 years, reflect widespread rejection of a far-right government. Despite significant gains, the National Rally’s campaign was marred by accusations of racism and antisemitism.
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At the National Rally’s electoral base in eastern Paris, supporters reacted with shock as early vote numbers appeared on a large TV screen. “I’m incredibly disappointed, but democracy has spoken,” said a 19-year-old party supporter Joscelin Cousin. “I suppose people are still afraid of the false image RN has tried to dispel for years.”
Party leader Marine Le Pen was absent, with 28-year-old Jordan Bardella delivering a solemn speech acknowledging the party’s disappointing results. “Unfortunately, alliances tonight have prevented the French people from a policy of recovery,” he stated, vowing to continue the party’s fight.