A broad leftist coalition is on track to win France's tense parliamentary election, edging out President Emmanuel Macron's centrists and the far right, with neither group winning an absolute majority, forecasts show.
After winning the first round of the June 30 election by a convincing margin, the results were a major disappointment for Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN).
Macron's centrist alliance will have a dozen fewer MPs, but performed better than expected and will even finish second.
The leftist New Popular Front (NPF) - formed last month after Macron called snap elections - has brought together the previously deeply divided Socialists, Greens, Communists and hardline France Unbowed (FNI).
Projections by the major polling agencies indicate that the NPF will be the largest bloc in the new National Assembly with 177 to 198 seats, Macron's Alliance with 152 to 169 seats and the RN with 135 to 145 seats.
Thus, no group will come close to the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority, and it remains unclear how a new government can be formed.
Macron, who has not yet spoken publicly about the projections, called for "caution and analysis of the results," said an aide who asked not to be named, AFP reported.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to resign before Macron, but he also made it clear that he is ready to stay on as caretaker minister as weeks of political uncertainty loom.
The left has emerged as the largest group in the new parliament, but has not yet even agreed on the figure it would like to be the new prime minister.
The unprecedented situation emerges just as Macron will be out of the country for most of the week, attending the NATO summit in Washington.
In the key individual battles, Le Pen's sister Marie-Caroline narrowly lost out on the chance to become an MP, but former president Francois Hollande will return to politics as a Socialist member of parliament.
The two Bulgarians, who were part of Marine Le Pen's National Rally list, lost the chance to become MPs.
Slavka Mihailova finished third in the first district of the department of Lo with 22.96%.
Ivanka Dimitrova in the second district of the department of Saint-et-Marne came second with 40.05 %.
Jean-Luc Melanchon, leader of the FNI and controversial head of the coalition, demanded that the left be allowed to form a government.
Only a week ago, some polls suggested that the CN could win an absolute majority and that Le Pen's 28-year-old lieutenant, Jordan Bardella, could become prime minister.
Instead, he expressed fury.
Bardella called the local electoral pacts, with which the left and centrists avoided splitting the vote of the opponents of the RN, a "union of dishonour".
He said this had thrown "France into the arms of Jean-Luc Melanchon's far left".
Le Pen, who wants to make a fourth run for the presidency in 2027, said, "The tide is rising. It has not risen enough this time, but it continues to rise and therefore our victory has only been delayed."
In the first round, more than 200 tactical voting pacts were struck between candidates from the centre and the left on the ground to try to prevent the RN from winning an absolute majority.
This was hailed as the return of the anti-far-right "Republican Front", first convened when Le Pen's father Jean-Marie faced Jacques Chirac in the second round of the 2002 presidential election.
Risk analysis firm Eurasia Group said there was "no clear governing majority" in the new parliament.
"It could take many weeks to sort out the mess while the current government manages the ongoing business." | BGNES
