France's Election Results: Left Surges, Far-Right Falls Short

The far-right National Rally appeared to have fallen short of predictions, but no coalition captured an absolute majority in Parliament, according to projections. Months of gridlock could lie ahead. The left was set to surge in legislative elections in France on Sunday and the far right to come up short of expectations, according to early projections that showed no party had secured an absolute majority, leaving one of Europe's largest countries headed for political gridlock. In a surprising performance, the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, emerged as a front-runner in five projections, though the final results could still change the picture.

Five of France's main polling institutes projected that the left-wing bloc would win the largest number of seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament where most legislative power resides. Mr. Macron's centrist coalition and the far-right National Rally trailed. The projected results came as a shock to many in France, where the National Rally had emerged as the top performer in the first round of voting last week. The unexpected results in Sunday's runoff also point to months of political instability for the government at a time when many in France are angry over issues like inflation and immigration.

The left-wing coalition, which only recently came together in an effort to block the National Rally, appears to have capitalized on its recent momentum and fears that the far-right party was a threat to French democratic values and institutions. In the first round of voting last week, the New Popular Front came in second, while President Emmanuel Macron's party, Renaissance, and its allies came in a distant third. The New Popular Front and Mr. Macron's centrist bloc then withdrew candidates from more than 200 races to avoid dividing support. Their strategy appeared to have succeeded.

Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, acknowledged that his party had fallen short of expectations. 'Unfortunately,' Mr. Bardella told supporters in Paris, 'dangerous electoral deals' made by Mr. Macron's allies and the left had 'deprived' the country of a far-right government. High turnout: Voter participation at 5 p.m.

local time was the highest in over two decades, at nearly 60 percent, the Interior Ministry said. That was much higher than during the previous legislative elections in 2022, when the participation rate at the same time was about 38 percent. The new left: A group of France's main left-wing parties formed the New Popular Front to fight Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally. But many in the country fear elements of the left, particularly because the largest party in the alliance, France Unbowed, is known for its incendiary far-left politics. Far right rebranded: Long marginalized by voters, the National Rally has attempted to remake its image in recent years.

Its campaign appealed to voters angry over inflation, immigration and a sense of abandonment. Macron weakened: Mr. Macron, who has three more years in office, called the elections last month in a risky gamble. His office said on Sunday that the French president was 'taking note of the results of the legislative elections as they come in.' 'The President will ensure that the sovereign choice of the French people is respected,' it said in a statement. Even as vote counting was still underway across France on Sunday night, one thing was clear: The left-wing coalition called the New Popular Front did much better than expected and helped deny the far right a victory.

Projections show the coalition coming out in front and gaining dozens of seats -- a feat for an alliance that was forged only last month with the goal of keeping the far-right National Rally from power. The alliance includes four left-wing parties: Communists, Socialists, Greens and the far-left party, France Unbowed. While many in France cheered what appeared to be a loss for the far right, others were fearful of what the far left might bring. Last week, after the first vote in a two-round election, the coalition withdrew more than 130 of its candidates from three-way races in which the far right had a chance of winning -- and pushed their supporters to vote strategically against far-right candidates. The strategy appeared to have worked.

Despite the apparent win for the left, the polls showed that no party or alliance got an absolute majority that would make it the likely choice to form a government. Still, Jean-Luc M?lenchon, founder of France Unbowed, a pugnacious and divisive figure, quickly declared that his party was not willing to negotiate to form a coalition government. Instead, he demanded that the left-wing alliance be given the reins to govern so it could implement its 'entire program.' Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, also said the alliance would not negotiate to form coalition government. 'That would betray the vote of French people and prolong the Macronist program,' he said. Some voters consider France Unbowed, which has members who have been accused of antisemitism, to be at least as dangerous as the far right.

And some economists have worried about the alliance's spending plans at a time when France is already mired in debt. The far-left's proposed platform includes raising France's monthly minimum wage, lowering the legal retirement age from 64 to 60, building one million new affordable housing units in five years and freezing the prices of basic necessities including food, energy and gas. The state would also pay households all costs associated with their children's education, including meals at cafeterias, transportation and extracurricular activities. Instead of drastically cutting immigration, as the far right had promised, the coalition pledged to make the asylum process more generous and smooth. The New Popular Front has pledged to come up with the tens of billions of euros needed to pay for its programs by taxing wealthy individuals.

'It's time to tax the super rich and the super profits,' said Mr. Faure to cheers Sunday night. If tasked by President Emmanuel Macron to form a government, it is unclear who among the coalition's leaders would be put forward as prime minister. During the frantic four-week election campaign, the leaders of three of the four parties insisted they would not be led by Mr. M?lenchon.

At a time when attacks on and threats against French Jews have spiked, Mr. M?lenchon has been repeatedly accused of fanning antisemitism. His fiery approach to politics and his unwavering pro-Palestinian views in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel were largely to blame for a breakup of the four groups last year after months of strained relations over other issues. Mr.

M?lenchon has refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization and vehemently denounced Israel's military operation in Gaza as 'genocide.' He also labeled a large demonstration against antisemitism, attended by two former French presidents, a rendezvous for 'the friends of unconditional support of the massacre.' It's 30 minutes to midnight and some reports of post-election unrest are coming in. In the cities of Rennes and Nantes, protesters threw fireworks and bottles toward riot police officers, who responded by firing tear gas, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported, adding that about