What’s Next for the New Popular Front

In July the New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of left-wing parties, came out on top in a snap general election in France, winning 193 seats in the National Assembly. The centrist bloc supporting President Emmanuel Macron got 166 seats, the far-right National Rally (RN) 142, and the center-right Republicans forty-seven. Three indisputable facts stand out. First, Macron’s governing coalition lost the election. Second, tactical voting and strategic withdrawal of candidates by Macronists and leftists in the decisive second round prevented the RN from winning altogether after it gained the most votes in the first round. This “republican front” strategy worked beyond all expectations: despite receiving the most votes of any party, the RN came third in terms of seats. Finally, the election resulted in a hung parliament and created a political conundrum. The NFP won the most seats in the National Assembly but was left almost 100 short of an absolute majority

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