Political changes in France after early elections

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After Sunday’s snap legislative elections in France, the nation faces a deadlocked parliament and significant political uncertainty. No major political factions, left, center or right, have won an outright majority.

The left-wing New Popular Front emerged as the leading group with 178 seats. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition followed with 150 seats, while Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration Rassemblement National party and its allies secured 142 seats.

Contrary to expectations, the National Rally did not win a clear victory. A strategic move by centrists and leftists to form a “republican front” against the National Rally in the second round of voting proved effective. Candidates across France withdrew from three-way races to consolidate votes against Le Pen’s party.

The election result was a setback for Macron, whose party lost more than a third of its seats. He now faces a fragmented lower house of parliament, without an immediate governing coalition, just weeks before the Paris Olympics. The next steps are uncertain.

The New Popular Front’s platform includes raising the minimum monthly wage, lowering the retirement age, reintroducing a wealth tax, and freezing energy and gas prices. Unlike the National Rally, which promises to cut immigration, the alliance aims to improve the asylum process.

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