The recent parliamentary elections in France have led to significant political and social upheaval. The left-wing coalition's victory has sparked celebrations and riots across the country, with thousands of people taking to the streets in cities like Paris, Lille, Rennes, and Marseille. Demonstrators set up burning barricades and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas.
The Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), a coalition of leftists, communists, socialists, and greens, emerged as the strongest force in parliament, securing up to 192 of the 577 seats. This outcome significantly weakens the feared shift to the right, with Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National (RN) likely coming in third with around 138 seats.
The election results have not only caused unrest on the streets but also a political earthquake. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his resignation, and it remains unclear whether President Emmanuel Macron will accept it and appoint a leftist as the new prime minister. Such a move would shift the balance of power, making the prime minister more influential.
The divided left, which recently united under the NFP for the election, lacks a common leadership or program, making future governance uncertain. Potential coalition scenarios include a difficult alliance between part of the left and the ruling party, or a technocratic government with parliamentary support.
Marine Le Pen's failure to achieve an absolute majority represents a setback for the far-right. The implicit pacts between the ruling party and the left-wing coalition, focusing votes on candidates best positioned to defeat RN, played a crucial role in this outcome.
President Macron has called for prudence and emphasized that his center-right alliance remains viable. He faces the challenge of forming a coherent coalition to reach the necessary 289 deputies for governance. Macron's decision on the next prime minister will be pivotal, with options ranging from a technical government to a large coalition of moderate convergence.
- In Paris, the Place de la République became a focal point for celebrations and clashes. Shops and banks had preemptively secured their windows with wooden boards, anticipating potential riots.
- In Lille, the police used tear gas against left-wing demonstrators, while in Rennes, 25 arrests were made, and anti-fascist chants filled the air. A police officer was injured by a Molotov cocktail in Nantes.
- Marseille saw large gatherings of people shouting slogans against right-wing media, with the police initially holding back.
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La Francia Insoumise and a key NFP partner, declared that the people had rejected the worst-case scenario. He emphasized that the NFP must govern without negotiating with Macron's alliance.
- Former President François Hollande won in Tulle and may become a moderate prime minister in the new government, adding another layer of complexity to the political landscape.
- Artists, athletes, and unions, including soccer star Kylian Mbappé, mobilized to prevent the far-right from gaining power, urging people to vote 'on the good side' in these tense elections.
