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A coalition of the French left that quickly banded together to beat a surging far right in\u00a0legislative elections<\/a>\u00a0won the most seats in parliament but not a majority, according to polling projections Sunday, a stunning outcome that threatens to plunge the country into political and economic turmoil.<\/p>\n The projections put President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s centrist alliance in second, no longer in control of parliament, and the bruised far right in third.<\/p>\n With no bloc securing a clear majority, France faces uncertainty that could rattle markets and its economy, the European Union\u2019s second-largest, and cast a shadow of political instability over the\u00a0Paris Olympics<\/a>\u00a0opening in less than three weeks.<\/p>\n Final results<\/a>\u00a0are not expected until late Sunday or early Monday in the highly volatile snap election that redrew the political map of France even before votes were cast, galvanizing parties on the left to put differences aside and join together when Macron announced just four weeks ago that he was dissolving parliament and calling the election, in a\u00a0huge gamble<\/a>\u00a0that the president hoped would shore up his centrist alliance.<\/p>\n It does not appear to have paid off for the deeply unpopular president. Projections forecast that his alliance would no longer be the largest single group in parliament, possibly by a long way. The National Rally party of Marine Le Pen greatly increased the number of seats it holds, but fell far short of its hopes of securing an absolute majority that would have given France its first far-right government since World War II.<\/p>\n In Paris\u2019 Stalingrad square, supporters on the left cheered and applauded as projections showing the alliance ahead flashed up on a giant screen. Cries of joy also rang out in Republique plaza in eastern Paris, with people spontaneously hugging strangers and several minutes of nonstop applause after the projections landed.<\/p>\n Jordan Bardella<\/a>, Le Pen\u2019s 28-year-old prot\u00e9g\u00e9 who\u2019d been hoping to become prime minister, rued that the outcome of the vote \u201cthrows France into the arms of the extreme left.\u201d<\/p>\n The most prominent of the leftist coalition\u2019s leaders, Jean-Luc M\u00e9lenchon, urged Macron to invite the New Popular<\/a> Front coalition to form a government. The alliance, he said, \u201cis ready to govern.\u201d<\/p>\n The projections, if confirmed by official counts, will spell intense uncertainty for a pillar of the European Union, with no clarity about who might become prime minister \u2014 and the prospect that Macron will be forced to govern alongside someone opposed to most of his domestic policies. The results will influence\u00a0the war in Ukraine<\/a>, global diplomacy and Europe\u2019s economic stability.<\/p>\n The polling projections are based on the actual vote count in select constituencies.<\/p>\n French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would resign but also that he would remain on an interim basis during the Olympics<\/a> or for as long as needed, given that there could be weeks of negotiations to choose a new premier.<\/p>\n In a statement from his office, Macron indicated that he wouldn\u2019t be rushed into inviting a potential prime minister to form a government. It said he was watching as results come in and would wait for the new National Assembly to take shape before taking \u201cthe necessary decisions,\u201d all while respecting \u201cthe sovereign choice of the French.\u201d<\/p>\n A hung parliament with no single bloc coming close to getting the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the more powerful of France\u2019s two legislative chambers, would be unknown territory for modern France.<\/p>\n Unlike other countries in Europe that are more accustomed to coalition governments, France doesn\u2019t have a tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a majority.<\/p>\n Macron stunned France, and many in his own government, by dissolving parliament after the\u00a0far right surged in French voting<\/a>\u00a0for the European elections in June.<\/p>\n Macron argued that sending voters back to the ballot boxes would provide France with \u201cclarification.\u201d The president was hoping that with France\u2019s fate in their hands, voters might shift from the far right and left and return to mainstream parties closer to the center \u2014 where Macron found much of the support that won him the presidency in 2017 and again in 2022. That, he hoped, would fortify his presidency for his remaining three years in office.<\/p>\n But rather than rally behind him, millions of voters seized on his surprise decision as an opportunity to vent their anger.<\/p>\n In last weekend\u2019s first round of balloting, voters backed candidates from the National Rally, in even greater numbers than in voting for the European Parliament. The coalition of parties on the left took second and his centrist alliance was a distant third.<\/p>\n The sharp polarization of French politics \u2013 especially in this torrid and quick campaign \u2013 is sure to complicate any coalition-building effort.\u00a0Racism and antisemitism<\/a>\u00a0marred the electoral campaign, along with\u00a0Russian disinformation campaigns<\/a>, and more than 50 candidates reported being physically attacked \u2014 highly unusual for France. The government said it deployed 30,000 police for Sunday\u2019s runoff vote \u2013 an indication of both the high stakes and concerns that a far-right victory, or even no clear win for any bloc, could trigger protests.<\/p>\n Any cobbled-together majority risks being fragile, vulnerable to no-confidence votes that could cause it to fall.<\/p>\n Prolonged instability could increase suggestions from his opponents that Macron should cut short his second and last term. The French Constitution prevents him from dissolving parliament again in the next 12 months, barring that as a route to possibly give France greater clarity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n