Nightmare for Macron as his election manoeuvring pushes Le Pen into THIRD place... only for 'French Jeremy Corbyn's' hard-left coalition to claim victory and vow €150bn spending, sparking political chaos and violence weeks before Olympics

• The hard-right National Front suffered a shock defeat, coming in third place
• Left-wing alliance came from behind to eke out a victory with 182 seats
• France now faces weeks of political machinations amid hung parliament 

Emmanuel Macron has traded one nightmare for another, preventing Marine Le Pen's hard-right National Rally from winning France's parliamentary elections yesterday but instead paving the way for a hard-left alliance to emerge victorious.

France's political landscape was plunged into turmoil after a stunning election race resulted in a hung parliament - and a man Macron sees as a left-wing extremist is now baying for his blood. 

Defying the predictions of political experts, French polls and the world's media, the New Popular Front alliance (NFP) - led by Jean-Luc Melenchon and his France Unbowed party (LFI) - came from behind to eke out a victory with 182 seats in parliament ahead of President Macron's centrist 'Together' coalition on 168.

The hard-right National Rally (RN) ended up in third place with just 143 seats, despite having led the race convincingly after the first round of elections just one week ago. 

This means the overwhelming majority of seats are now split between three factions, all of which harbour very different ideas about the future of France with little interest in forming a coalition. 

Macron is now seeking to capitalise on the chaos, refusing the resignation of his protégé Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and instructing him to stay in place as the government sits in limbo. 

Such chaos is reflected on the streets of France where thousands upon thousands of protesters violently clashed with riot police, set fire to electric bikes, threw flares and smashed up property - a mere three weeks before Paris is set to host the Olympic Games.

In a stunning example of political conniving, last week saw Macron's centrists and members of the NFP work together to block a hard-right majority. 

More than 200 left-wing or centrist candidates withdrew after the first round to avoid splitting votes, building a united Republican front to crush RN hopes of an absolute majority. 

But Macron's hope that his decision to call snap elections would give France a 'moment of clarification' has done exactly the opposite, as all three main political blocs fell far far short of the 289 seats needed to control the 577-seat National Assembly.

Formed just last month, the NFP brings together socialists, greens, communists and the hard-left into one super-camp - with the leader of the radical left, Jean-Luc Melenchon, vowing to implement several socialist policies that critics fear will leave France 'ungovernable'.

Melenchon, who is often compared to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, promised to increase public spending by at least €150billion within the next five years, which will be financed by increasing taxes. 

The hard-left leader, who has previously been accused of antisemitism, also said he would raise the minimum wage by 14 per cent, introduce a ban on price increases of essential goods and reduce the state pension age from 64 to just 60.

While the NFP secured the most seats in parliament, it does not have anywhere near enough seats for a majority and the lack of such for any single alliance means Melenchon cannot form a government alone.

Instead, he will be forced to negotiate with other parties in the hopes of organising a coalition government.

But leader of the centrists Macron has already labelled him an extremist - and it is almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which the despondent and crestfallen RN agrees to enter into government with an alliance on the opposite side of the political spectrum. 

With the government now in deadlock as the parties squabble over who will lead, Macron today declared that Attal will remain in place as Prime Minister.

But he will have his work cut out to do what Macron requested of him upon his appointment seven months ago - 'to ensure the stability of the country'.  

Macron's outgoing finance minister Bruno Le Maire celebrated the loss of the hard-right, but warned France could now risk a financial crisis if warring parties cannot come to an agreement and form a coalition in short order.

'The most immediate risk is a financial crisis and France's economic decline,' he said.

'The second risk is an ideological fracture of the nation,' he added.

In a sombre speech after the second-round legislative election, Jordan Bardella, the president of the far right RN, denounced the political manoeuvering that led the National Rally to fall far short of expectations.

An unprecedented number of candidates who qualified for the runoff stepped aside to allow an opponent to go head-to-head with the National Rally candidate, increasing the chances of defeating them. 

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Despite projections widely considered disappointing for the anti-immigration, nationalist party, it still increased its seat count in parliament to an unprecedented high. 

'Tonight, by deliberately taking the responsibility to paralyse our institutions, Emmanuel Macron... is consequently depriving the French people of any responses to their daily problems for many months to come,' Bardella said.

Hard-left Melenchon, 72, giving his first reaction, called on French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to resign and said the left-wing coalition was ready to govern.

'The French people have voted with a conscience,' said Melenchon, a former presidential candidate and one of the main leaders of the NPF. 'Our people have clearly ruled out the worst solution to our problems.'

Melenchon welcomed 'a result that had seemed impossible', adding: 'This evening the RN is far from having an absolute majority. This is a huge relief for millions of people who make up the new France.' 

 

Macron will now attend this month's landmark NATO summit in Washington a diminished figure, with France left without a stable ruling majority less than three weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics. 

The snap elections in this nuclear-armed nation have potential impact on the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe's economic stability - and the results are almost certain to undermine Macron's power and influence for the remaining three years of his presidency.

The election campaign, the shortest in French history, has been marked by a febrile national mood, threats and violence - including racist abuse - against dozens of candidates and canvassers.

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Turnout was high, with left-wing and centrist candidates urging supporters to defend democratic values and the rule of law - while the far right scented a chance to upend the established order.

By 5pm local time, according to interior ministry figures, some 61.4 percent of voters had turned out - the most since 1981.

An outright RN victory would have seen Macron forced into an uneasy cohabitation with Bardella as prime minister for the remaining three years of his term. 

Even without that scenario, France is left with a hung parliament with a large eurosceptic, anti-immigration contingent.

This would have weakened France's international standing and threaten Western unity in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

'Even if the right extreme less strong than expected, the country is more divided than ever,' Armin Steinbach, European economist and professor at Business School HEC Paris, said. 

'Centre parties have lost compared to the last election in 2022. Extreme parties, from the left and right, have gained. The country is polarised.'

He added: 'A deadlock is the most likely outcome because of the lack of majority in parliament. A quick solution within days is unlikely. 

'France has no political culture to make coalitions and compromises, like Germany or Italy. That is why it feels like a crisis for the French.'

EU officials, already learning to deal with far-right parties in power in Italy and the Netherlands and frustrated by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, are watching France closely.

With the country on tenterhooks, last week saw more than 200 tactical-voting pacts between centre and left wing candidates in seats to attempt to prevent the RN winning an absolute majority.

This has been hailed as a return of the anti-far right 'Republican Front' first summoned when Le Pen's father Jean-Marie faced Jacques Chirac in the run-off of 2002 presidential elections.

The question for France now is if this last-ditch alliance of last resort can now support a stable government, dogged by a huge RN bloc in parliament led by Le Pen herself as she prepares a 2027 presidential bid.

If no coalition emerges, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal could try to lead a minority government as, under French rules, the president can not dissolve parliament again and call a fresh poll for 12 months.

'France is on the cusp of a seismic political shift,' said analysts at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), warning of 'legislative gridlock' that would weaken 'France's voice on the European and international stage'. 

Professor Steinbach said that two main scenarios are possible now: 'Firstly, a minority government by the left-wing block because as the 'winner' they have the legitimacy to form a government. 

'With this result, there'll be no Macronist prime minister, hence a Cohabitation. Much depends on whether the NFP will stay united and not break up in old conflicts.  

'They could in next days propose a moderate left-wing PM candidate. Francois Holland could be such candidate. 

'Secondly, Macron's party and Republicans form a coalition as a minority government. This would be very unpopular and may trigger protests because he clearly lost the election.'