French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to lose his absolute majority in the National Assembly, the most powerful branch of the country’s parliament.
His centrist alliance Ensemble was to win a majority of seats, but the planned suspended parliament was a setback for Macron, whose reform plans could now be affected amid a period of political uncertainty. it may require the sharing of power.
A left-wing coalition of socialists and greens known as the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (NUPES) and led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, 70, was to be the second largest alliance after the final round of voting.
People from all over France went to the polls on Sunday to decide the 577 members of the assembly, which is the lower house of parliament and is key to voting on the laws.
Image: Jean-Luc Melenchon leads a left-wing coalition
Mr Macron, 44, needed 289 seats for an absolute majority. One projection showed that their alliance should win 224. Another projection put the total at 210-250, while a third said it was 200-260.
NUPES was expected to get 149-200 seats, according to an estimate.
Melenchon told supporters the result was a “totally unexpected and invisible” situation.
Macron was re-elected president in April and a global majority in today’s assembly would have given him the mandate to push through his campaign promises, which include tax cuts, raising France’s retirement age from 62 to 65 years and increase integration into the European Union.
But Macron could be immersed in a series of protracted domestic policy talks at a time when the war in Ukraine has put foreign concerns at the center of the stage.
His coalition could seek an alliance with the Conservatives or lead a minority government that will have to negotiate laws on a case-by-case basis.
Republican Conservatives and Allies could win up to 100 seats, which could turn them into kings.
And Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National party could also get up to 100 seats, according to projections, its best result on record.
“It was Emmanuel Macron’s arrogance, his contempt for the French … that made him a minority president,” said Jordan Bardella of the party.
In Macron’s camp, Gabriel Attal told TF1 TV: “No one has won”, while government spokeswoman Olivia Gregoire said the results were disappointing, but noted that the alliance would still be the largest group. of parliament.
In the first ballot last week, the left-wing opposition made a surprisingly strong show, sending nervousness to Macron’s allies.
Today’s result could be seen as unusual: after electing a president, French voters have generally been given a comfortable parliamentary majority a few weeks later, with François Mitterrand a rare exception in 1988.