By Sarah Naffa\AP
Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons
A French left coalition won the most seats in high-stakes legislative elections Sunday, beating back a far-right surge but failing to win a majority. Read more.
Why this matters:
A hung parliament is unknown territory for modern France. All three main blocs fell far short of the 289 seats needed to control the National Assembly, with the New Popular Front leftist coalition placing first, ahead of Macron’s centrist alliance and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally was restricted to third place.
While the National Rally took more seats than ever, the anti-immigration party with historical links to antisemitism and racism fell far short of its hopes of securing an absolute majority that would have given France its first far-right government since World War II.
The outcome left France facing the stunning prospect of a hung parliament and political paralysis. The political turmoil could rattle markets and the French economy and have far-ranging implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability.
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