Explainer | France election yields no clear majority. What could happen next?
- France is entering uncharted territory after a chaotic election result left the government in limbo
French voters have given a broad leftist coalition the most parliamentary seats in a pivotal legislative election that has kept the far-right from power but has put France in the unprecedented position of having no dominant political bloc in parliament.
While a fractured parliament is not uncommon in Europe, France has not experienced that in its modern history.
That sends the country into uncharted territory that will involve tense negotiations to form a new government and name a prime minister, who focuses on domestic policy and shares power with the president.
President Emmanuel Macron ’s centrist alliance came in second in Sunday’s run-off for the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, after his centrists and the leftists both campaigned against the far-right, with candidates in three-way races dropping out to benefit the one deemed most likely to defeat the far-right candidate. The far-right party came in third, though still drastically increasing its number of seats.
No clear figure has emerged as a possible future prime minister.
Macron can propose a name, but that choice would need support from a parliamentary majority. He says he will wait to decide his next steps, and heads to Washington this week for a Nato summit. New legislators will hold their first session July 18.
