Initial estimates of the results of the voting in the legislative elections in France indicate that the left-wing coalition will come first in the second round, with President Emmanuel Macron’s camp coming in second place, ahead of the far right, but without any bloc obtaining an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
The New Popular Front is expected to win 172 to 215 seats, Macron’s camp 150 to 180 seats, and the National Rally, which was originally expected to win an absolute majority, 115 to 155 seats.
Final results are not expected until late Sunday or Monday morning in the highly volatile early election, which was called just four weeks ago in a huge gamble for Macron.
The failure of any of the coalitions to achieve a majority in the elections could lead France to political and economic turmoil.
The unpopular Macron lost control of parliament, according to forecasts. The far right, for its part, significantly increased its number of seats in parliament, but did not live up to expectations.
France now faces the prospect of weeks of political intrigue to decide who will be prime minister and leader of the National Assembly. Macron faces the prospect of leading the country alongside a prime minister who opposes most of his domestic policies.
Despite the high stakes involved, unprecedentedly large numbers took part in legislative elections, after decades of growing voter apathy towards such participation and, for a growing number of French people, towards politics in general.
Source: Arabic
