The French left-wing coalition, New Popular Front (NFP), is projected to win the most seats in France's parliamentary election, outpacing President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Ensemble party and the right-wing National Rally (RN) coalition.
Following a bruising defeat in the European Parliament elections earlier in June, Macron called for snap elections to be held on June 30 and July 7. The first round resulted in a shocking victory for the right-wing National Rally (RN) party.
Current projections show the New Popular Front (NFP) winning between 177 and 192 seats, Macron’s Ensemble taking between 152 and 158 seats, and the RN party taking between 138 and 145 seats. This would leave the NFP with the most parliamentary seats but not enough for a majority.
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After the far right's unexpected victory on June 30, the left-wing alliance withdrew at least 130 candidates from three-way races in which the far right was projected to win. NFP leadership then advised its supporters to vote against the RN candidates in these races.
This strategy, aimed at staving off further far-right election success, appears to have worked.
The left-wing coalition includes a number of parties, including the far-left party, France Unbowed, the more moderate Socialist party, and the Communists, among others.
According to CNN, thousands of people have already gathered at the Place de la République in Paris, waving French flags and celebrating the election outcome.
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