Runoff elections in France result in hung parliament

When the anti-immigrant and nationalist National Rally party won the recent vote for the European Union parliament, for the third consecutive election cycle, French President Emmanuel Macron demanded a "clarification" and shockingly dissolved parliament for snap elections.

As a result of the final round of voting, France now has a hung parliament, with three blocks receiving almost equal scores.

The National Rally did not attain the majority some had predicted and even fell to third place. 

• French vote ends in hung parliament
  

  French vote ends in hung parliament as leftists lead snap vote

  Many in France are breathing a sigh of relief after the far-right National Rally party surprisingly fell to 3rd place in snap legislative elections.

This is seen as a consequence of the long-standing electoral tactic of leftist and centrist candidates banding together for round two in order to oppose the far right, and also a widespread rejection of fascist inspired parties in French politics.

France proved it is still a democratic country and one which values its wide range of cultural diversity.

 You can imagine that all of us immigrants are very relieved and to get the new Popular Front win on top of it all is very exciting.

French Voter 01

• French legislative elections, no party wins absolute majority
  

  Leftists lead in French legislative elections, no party wins absolute majority

  A left-wing coalition leads in French legislative elections, with no party winning an absolute majority,

The coalition with the most seats turned out to be the new Popular Front, and many are jubilant at the possibility of a genuine leftist holding the post of Prime Minister for the first time since the original Popular Front of 1936.

We limited the damage but we also weren't expecting the left to win.

So there's a lot of excitement and not just in a multicultural neighborhood like this one.

There's a lot of work they need to do. So it's time to roll up the sleeves and start.

French Voter 03

Macron's Party ran a surprising second, a steep fall from the supermajority they had in 2017.

The unplanned snap elections are widely considered to have caused the death of ‘Macronism’.

• Snap election backfires on Macron
  

  Snap election backfires on Macron

  A surprising decision taken by Macron to dissolve parliament and hold snap elections appears to have backfired in a most disastrous fashion.

The market doesn't react badly so far, because we don't know who's going to be Prime Minister. So wait and see.

But I think after summer, after the Olympic Games, it is going to be hard time for everyone. I see the standard of living diminishing for everyone.

And I think the lack of understanding of the economy and the lack of understanding of the consequences of the vote of people is dramatic in France.

I myself am considering leaving the country to be honest with you.

French Voter 02

• Violent clashes erupt in France after leftists' surprise election win
  

  Violent clashes erupt in France after leftists' surprise election win

  Violence has erupted in France after a left-wing coalition won the most seats in the country’s parliamentary elections.

The surprise leftist plurality has immediately sparked hopes, but they'll have to do something which is historically extremely difficult in France, govern without a parliamentary majority.

Unlike many other nations, French politics is not designed for coalition building, which means that for the next calendar year, this surprise parliament is expected to showcase the divisiveness and intolerance which almost pushed the far right to power.

• French crackdown on Palestine solidarity
  

  French crackdown on Palestine solidarity

  This edition of the program looks at French crackdown on freedom of expression.

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