| Hundreds of centrist and left wing candidates pulled out of their races to avoid splitting the vote in the second round after the RN’s strong showing last week. In France this exercise of widespread tactical voting is known as a “republican front”, a collaborative effort to stop the far right, and it was more successful than anyone anticipated – even left wing supporters and activists could scarcely believe the results. “Crowds celebrated into the early hours of Monday morning in Paris as the left alliance was on track to become the biggest bloc,” Angelique says. “There was a clear movement by voters to keep the RN from power”. Though the initial response from Macron’s camp was restrained, the results will come as a welcome relief to the president, whose political prospects one week ago seemed dire, but who now has a chance to restore some of his legacy. However, the path ahead remains rocky – the centrist and left wing alliances are not natural allies with Macron at times portraying the far left as being equally as dangerous as the far right during the campaign. While there will be much jubilation, the fragmented parliamentary results tell a story about simmering and deep political tensions that could leave France in a state of political inertia for the foreseeable future. Who is the left-wing alliance? The NFP only came together a month ago with the specific goal of stopping a far-right majority. The name of the hastily formed coalition takes inspiration from the original Popular Front that stopped the far-right in 1936. But the contemporary alliance of the French left has a fraught history. Towards the end of last year, the last alliance with the same parties, the New Ecological and Social People’s Union (Nupes), effectively collapsed because of internal conflict. The left-wing parties ran separate party lists during the June European elections where the far right made huge gains. Following Macron’s decision to call a shock snap election in early June, the parties reunited with the common goal of blocking the far right from the gates of power. Nupes was dominated by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed but there is no clear leader for NPF, with different party leaders representing the coalition at debates and on the campaign trail. France Unbowed was formed in 2016 by the 72-year-old left wing firebrand Mélenchon (pictured above) who has had a long career in politics, holding ministerial positions in previous governments. His radical views on taxation and the war in Gaza and antagonistic rhetoric have provoked outrage from other politicians and some corners of the public. The Socialist, Communist and Green parties that make up the rest of the alliance range from staunch anti-capitalists to social democrats. They did not stand solely in opposition to National Rally. The group had a series of popular policy pledges including raising the minimum monthly wage to €1,600; scrapping Macron’s controversial pension reform; capping the price of electricity, fuel, gas and food and creating a smoother legal process for asylum seekers. The alliance will have to grapple with its deep seated disagreements on issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the European Union. Where does this leave the far right? Marine Le Pen, who intends to run for president in 2027, stood defiantly in the face of the bruising result, saying that “the tide is rising. It did not rise high enough this time, but it continues to rise and our victory has simply been deferred.” This result will come as a relief to centrist and left wing voters and politicians in France and across Europe. However, it is important to understand the context of this election result. The RN have still had a historic result, with dozens more seats than they had one month ago. “Although the National Rally was held far back from power, it nonetheless continued its slow but steady rise under Le Pen and will reach its highest ever number of seats in parliament,” Angelique says. What’s next? While the left wing alliance and Macron’s centrists were able to stave off a far right wave, the future of French politics is certainly not clear. No party or alliance has an outright majority, meaning that parliament will be splintered. Attal has offered his resignation as PM, but there is no clear frontrunner for the position. Mélenchon said the left wing alliance is “ready to govern” and that Macron has a duty to pick a prime minister from the NPF, though he has said that he will not “impose” himself into a leadership role, perhaps aware of his polarising reputation. Centrist politicians have said that they will not work with anyone from France Unbowed, but given the centrist alliance lost so many seats picking a prime minister from its own ranks would be an unpopular move. The president could pick a non-partisan technocratic leader – although France has no experience of such an appointment – or he could ask Attal to stay on in a caretaker form. Another less than ideal option is that parties cooperate through different ad hoc alliances to vote through individual pieces of legislation. This is the strategy that Macron has tried since losing his majority two years ago and has had little success with. For more information on this, read Jon Henley’s explainer on the possible next steps for French government. “France is entering uncharted waters with no clear absolute majority in parliament,” Angelique says. With the national assembly divided into three blocs, she says it is uncertain how a government can be formed and with who. “It could take weeks,” she says. | 