France's new popular front poised to steer government formation
President Emmanuel Macron has a duty to entrust the New Popular Front (NFP) with forming a government, commented on the results of the second round of parliamentary elections in France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radically leftist party Unsubmissive France (LFI).
Mélenchon, whose group is part of the coalition of left-wing parties—the New Popular Front (NFP)—also called on Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to step down, rejecting the possibility of an agreement with the presidential camp.
Bardella: France thrown into the arms of the extreme left
The leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, declared on Sunday evening that "shameful alliances" have thrown France "into the arms of the extreme left of Jean-Luc Mélenchon." Bardella thanked the voters and emphasized that the election result "deprives the French of an economic recovery policy."
Bardella stated that his party will not make "any political compromises," AFP reported.
Second round of elections in France. exit poll results are in
According to exit polls by Elabe for bfm.tv, the leftist New Popular Front won the elections, securing between 175 and 205 deputies. The big winner of the first round, the National Rally, ultimately came in third, gaining 115 to 150 seats. Centrist parties gathered around Macron took second place and can expect between 150 and 175 seats.
Exit polls for other TV stations showed similar results. According to IFOP estimates for TF1, the New Popular Front may secure between 180 and 215 seats in parliament, while Ipsos polls for France TV predict 172 to 215 seats for the leftist bloc. An Opinionway poll for C News TV indicated that the New Popular Front would gain between 180 and 210 seats.
According to all these polls, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc narrowly outpaced Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the second-place fight.
No party achieved an absolute majority, allowing it to form a government independently—289 seats.
