The polling stations are closed for this time and now a first forecast of how the French parliamentary election will end can be presented.
– France did it again, when a Le Pen gets too close to power, they come together to stop right-wing extremism, comments TV4 Nyhetern’s foreign affairs commentator Elisabet Frerot on the spot in France.
– But already tonight you notice how the willingness to cooperate has fallen among the winners. No one has their own majority, but no one wants to cooperate. This is when the real mess begins and it will take some time before a new government is put together, comments Elisabet Frerot.
This is what the numbers look like
The left-wing alliance New People’s Front is the largest according to Ipsos’ first survey.
The National Assembly has 577 seats and 289 seats are required for a majority.
In the forecast, the New People’s Front is estimated to get between 172-192 seats.
– The far right is far from a majority. This is the result of a fantastic mobilization, says Left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the Occupied France party, the alliance’s largest party, at his party’s vigil.
– Now the president must admit defeat and the prime minister must leave. We are ready.
Later in the evening, Prime Minister Gabriel Attas – an ally of President Emmanuel Macron – announced that he is ready to submit his resignation.
Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the Occupied France party
Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the Occupied France party
National collection third largest – Bardella is raging
Macron’s center alliance “Together” is estimated to get between 152-170 seats.
The Ytterhögerpartiet National Assembly is estimated to get between 132-152 seats.
– It is a total fiasco for national gathering. They had hoped for 289 mandates, their own majority and they may not even get 150. So they were very long in the face at the vigil when the announcement came, says Elisabet Ferort, on site in Paris.
Their top name, Jordan Bardella, will thus not become prime minister – the post responsible for the country’s domestic policy.
– He calls this a political manipulation, but it could also be that their basic support is not greater than the 33 percent they received in the first round and that there are significantly more people who do not want to see them in power, says Elisabet Ferort.
The party was the largest in the first round of elections, but now looks set to drop to third place.
– But you must also remember that they have doubled their seats in the national assembly, says Elisabet Ferort.
Speaking after the forecast, Bardella referred to the opponents as an “unholy alliance”, saying the country was now in the hands of the far left.
Tense atmosphere in the country
At 5 p.m., voter turnout was almost 60 percent.
It is the highest in 43 years.
There has been a tense atmosphere in France ever since the National Assembly advanced in the EU elections and Macron announced new elections at the beginning of June.
There have been concerns about riots on election night and thousands of police have been called to Paris.
It is unclear who will become prime minister after Attal
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced after the first election results that he will submit his resignation, but it is not certain that Macron will accept it.
– It is not obvious who will instead become prime minister. Most people think it seems simple here, but it is not, says Elisabet Ferort.
Macron and his party are not prepared to cooperate with the far left, which is part of the left alliance that now seems to be the largest in the election.
– All this with finding cooperation to stop the outer pile, it seems to be paying off tonight. Right now nobody seems to want to cooperate, so it will take time before a new government is found, says Elisabet Ferort.
She says that it is not only a blow to the left alliance, but also that Macron’s center alliance is doing so well despite the fact that he is so unpopular.
– You can only state that France has done it again, when Le Pen gets too close to power, they come together and stop her, says Elisabet Ferort.
Fact: It happens after the election
The new election to the National Assembly determines who becomes prime minister and gets to form a government – and cooperate with President Emmanuel Macron.
577 seats in the parliament are to be elected. For a majority, 289 mandates are required.
If there is no party with a clear mandate to govern, Macron could choose a government of experts unattached to political parties. Such a government would probably mostly administer the day-to-day work necessary to keep France going. However, such a solution would require parliamentary approval.
Macron could also have to seek a left-leaning prime minister.
If the post-election political talks take too long, Macron’s centrist government could act as a transitional government over the summer and the Olympics.
Source: AP