French left says it has a mandate to govern after surprise victory

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) said it has a mandate to govern after winning a surprise victory in the second round of French parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the far right falling to third place, according to projections. initials.

The NFP, a new alliance that brought together Jean-Luc MélenchonThe far-left La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France), the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, the Ecologists and several smaller left-leaning groups, are expected to win 177 to 198 of the 577 seats in the Lower Chamber, or National Assembly. , broadcasters TF1 and France 2 predicted after the polls closed on Sunday.

“The president has a duty to appeal to the New Popular Front to govern,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon after the first projections were published on Sunday night, showing his alliance at the top.

He appealed to the Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of the president Emmanuel Macronfrom the centrist camp in Iran, and shortly afterwards his wish seemed fulfilled when Attal said he would present his resignation to Macron on Monday morning.

Macron should admit defeat, Mélenchon said, while also ruling out talks about a merger with Macron’s Ensemble (Together) group.

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure also said there should not be a “coalition of opposites” that continues Macron’s policies, while Green Party leader Marine Tondelier said it was a clear victory for the NFP. “We won and now we will govern,” she said in Paris.

“Tonight social justice won, tonight ecological justice won, and tonight the people won and now it’s just beginning,” Tondelier said.

But the arithmetic is not on the side of the NFP, or indeed any camp: Macron’s centrist alliance came in second and is expected to win 152 to 169 seats, down from 245; The far-right National Reunion party, which emerged victorious after the first round, fell to third place and is expected to occupy 135 to 145 seats. If the projections are correct, neither camp should therefore achieve an absolute majority of 289 seats.

At 67.5%, voter turnout was significantly higher than in previous years.

France’s divided left only came together a few weeks ago to form the NFP for early parliamentary elections. There is a dispute within the left, especially over Mélenchon’s leadership.

The populist, who stands out for his Eurosceptic statements and is clearly pro-Palestinian, is heavily criticized even within his own party.

The left alliance has no clear leadership, nor a common program.

The National Rally suffered from a coordinated campaign by the second and third placed groups in the first round, who made an agreement in around 200 seats to present a candidate in the hope of keeping the far-right candidate out.

The strategy worked, leaving National Rally leader Jordan Bardella incandescent with rage. He attacked Macron’s centrist camp and the NFP as a “single party” and an “alliance of dishonor.”

Bardella criticized the “electoral agreements” that “plunged France into the arms of Jean-Luc Mélenchon”, the leader of the extreme left.

Marine Le Pen, who plans to run for president at the National Rally in 2027, expressed optimism that her party would be more successful in the future.

“The tide continues to rise and our victory today has only been postponed,” said Le Pen after the first projections.

Macron’s office said the president is focusing on forming a government. Before taking any decision, the head of state will await the final results of the elections and the final composition of the National Assembly, announced the Élysée Palace.

“In his role as guarantor of our institutions, the president will ensure that the sovereign choice of the French people is respected,” he said.

The Élysée Palace also stated that the number of lawmakers needed for an absolute majority would have to be reached, BFMTV reported.

Faced with the expected electoral result with Macron’s centrist alliance in second place, the Élysée Palace explained: “The central camp has been declared dead: but it is there, even after seven years in power”.

If confirmed, the result gives rise to several future scenarios: The left could try to gain the support of centrist forces – either as a minority government under a confidence and supply agreement with other parties, or in a kind of grand coalition. However, given the opposing political orientations, it is not clear whether this can be successful.

It is unclear whether Macron would be politically forced to appoint a prime minister from the ranks of the left in such a scenario. The National Assembly has the power to overthrow the government.

With a left-wing prime minister, Macron would have to share power under an agreement known in France as cohabitation. The prime minister would become more important.

If neither camp finds a government majority, the current government may remain in office, as a transitional government or a government of technocrats may be appointed. In such a scenario, France would be threatened with political impasse.

In view of the Olympic Games, which will begin in Paris on July 26, it is also possible that Attal’s government will remain in office for a few more weeks.

Driven by general dissatisfaction with the Macron administration, the National Rally led the European Parliament elections in June with 31.36% of the vote, leading Macron to call early parliamentary elections.

There are more than two years until the next round of the 2027 presidential elections, in which Le Pen is the favorite to win. Macron cannot run again.