Surprise win for leftwing alliance predicted in French election exit poll
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally falls into third place, despite strong showing in first round of voting
Angelique Chrisafis
People watch a screen displaying the first results of the second round of France's legislative election.Photograph: Stéphane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images
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leftwing alliance was on track to become the biggest force in the French parliament on Sunday after tactical voting held back the far right, but the shape of the future government remained uncertain after no group won an absolute majority.
The New Popular Front alliance of parties – which includes the former ruling Socialist party, the leftwing La
France Insoumise, the Greens and Communists – was predicted to take 172–192 seats, according to projections by Ipsos pollsters for the French public broadcaster.
Emmanuel Macron’s centrist grouping, Ensemble, was in second place, projected to take between 150–170 seats, a loss of up to 100 seats but a stronger showing than expected.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration
National Rally (RN) was predicted to come third with 132–152 seats, along with its allies on the right.
This was a historic result for the RN – its biggest ever score in a parliamentary election, and an increase from the 88 seats it had when parliament was dissolved last month. But it was much lower than the party had expected after it
topped the vote in the first round last week.
The RN’s limited score showed the success of a
tactical voting pact put in place last week by centrists and the left to hold back the far right.
More than 200 candidates from the left and centre had pulled out of the second-round last week in order to avoid splitting the vote against the RN. Those parties had called on their voters to choose any candidate against the RN, in an attempt to prevent the far right winning an absolute majority of 289 and forming a government.
Amid a high turnout estimated at about 67%, no single group was predicted to win an absolute majority and form a government. The parliament was likely to be divided into three blocs, the left, centrists and the far right.
Macron, who said during the campaign that he will remain president, is now facing uncertainty over how a government will be formed in the EU’s second economy and its top military power.
The election took place amid tension after Macron shocked his own government and party by calling
snap elections on 9 June after his centrists were trounced by the far right in European elections.
Final results are not expected until late on Sunday night or Monday morning.
More details to follow …
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally falls into third place despite strong showing in first round of voting
www.theguardian.com
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