National Rally

July 9, 2024 5:16 PM

French left wants to rule but centrists demand a role

said they intended to govern according to their tax-and-spend programme, but centrists laid claim to a role as the left lacks a majority. The unexpected outcome of the snap election has plunged France into uncertainty just before the Paris Olympics, with no obvious path to a stable government capable of getting any legislation passed by a fragmented parliament. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats in the National Assembly but fell short of an absolute majority by about 100 ...

July 8, 2024 11:19 AM

France election: Policy paralysis looms as left gains and far right stumbles

France faced a hung parliament and the prospect of taxing negotiations starting Monday to form a government, after a surprise left-wing surge blockedç's quest to bring the far right to power. The leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly after Sunday's election, but with no single group securing a working majority the possibilities include the NFP forming a minority government or the building of a broad, unwieldy coalition. The result delivered a s...

July 4, 2024 12:09 PM

As France votes, Europe holds its breath

When President Emmanuel Macron shocked France last month by calling a snap election, he was gambling with the future of Europe as well as his own country. While much depends on the second round of voting on Sunday, it already seems clear that Macron's role as a driver of European integration will be significantly diminished. The two most likely scenarios – a government led by the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen or a hung parliament – would present unprecedented challenges fo...

July 1, 2024 10:18 AM

Far-right National Rally wins first round in France election

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party scored historic gains to win the first round of France's parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed, but the final result will depend on days of horsetrading before next week's run-off. The RN was seen winning around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe showed, in a huge setback for President Emmanuel Macron who had called the snap election after his ticket was trounced by the RN in European Parliament ...