Leftist bloc wins and prevents right-wing advance in France

The French left surprised and emerged victorious in the second round of elections for the National Assembly this Sunday (7 July 2024). The NFP (New Popular Front), a coalition hastily formed to defeat the right-wing RN (National Rally), secured 182 seats in the Lower House of Parliament.

With 100% of the vote count complete, President Emmanuel Macron’s Juntos coalition won 168 seats in the National Assembly. The party led by Marine Le Pen fared far below expectations, securing just 143 seats. Polls closed at 8 p.m. (3 p.m. Brasília time).

In the new composition of the National Assembly, none of the groups came close to an absolute majority of 289 of the 577 deputies, which means the need for alliances to form the next government, possibly between the NFP, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Macron’s coalition.

This will be the first French government without a clear dominant force since World War II.

The poor performance of Le Pen’s group, significantly below expectations after the first round on June 30, when it was estimated to win 297 seats, shows that the French president’s gamble of calling new legislative elections after the right’s advance in the European Parliament paid off. The alliance between the center and the left was crucial in preventing the RN’s expected victory.

O “Cordon sanitaire”which encouraged less competitive candidates to withdraw from the second round to reduce the right’s chances, was effective in blocking the rise of a prime minister from the National Regroupment. Jordan Bardella (RN, right) was the most likely candidate to take office.

The future of cohabitation between the parties in the National Assembly is still uncertain, but Macron avoided a crushing defeat as his coalition outperformed the right. However, this does not exactly represent a victory for the French president.

When he dissolved the National Assembly after his defeat in the European Parliament elections, he said the measure was necessary to allow the French people to choose their leaders. In the second round this Sunday (7 July), his coalition still received fewer votes than the left-wing union, and the discontent of French segments with his government is still visible.