John Downing: EU leaders can breathe sigh of relief as Le Pen misses out on power, but turmoil in France will be felt across Europe
French voters reject a far-right majority in favour of the left
The good news for many EU leaders is that the French hard-right party of Marine Le Pen fell far short of power in Sunday’s run-off vote for the national parliament.
The less encouraging reality is that the outcome leaves the EU’s second-largest economy – which along with Germany leads many Brussels’ initiatives – with a hung parliament and facing a political deadlock.
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