Why France is headed for a turbulent coalition government

Days after being tipped to win, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is now coming in third in the national election results.

Jul 10, 2024 - 00:30
Why France is headed for a turbulent coalition government

The French election results are everything except what predictions had forecast.

Only days ago, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party was tipped to win. But as results came in it became clear it was the loser of these National Assembly elections.

The far right National Rally is coming third, behind Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition in second. And in first place, somewhat against the odds, is the three-week-old left-wing alliance the New Popular Front.

This is a major twist in the roller coaster that French politics has been since June 9 when Macron called a snap election. Macron, who will serve as president until 2027, now faces a turbulent period of government.

Results are still coming in, and will for another few hours. However, the New Popular Front is tipped to win 177 to 192 seats, Macron’s alliance 152 to 158 seats, and the National Rally 138 to 145 seats. Only a week ago polls were predicting 200 to 260 seats for the National Rally and a decimated Centrist coalition. The latter certainly did better than expected, so did the moderate right of the Les Républicains party, with 63 to 67 seats in the new house.

However, the results mean that no party will likely be able to form a parliamentary majority on its own, and France is...

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