France election: Mélenchon flashes – no left block against Macron

Created: 06/21/2022Updated: 06/21/2022 10:31 p.m

By: Sandra Kathe, Max Schäfer

Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants a single parliamentary opposition faction.

The socialists, greens/ecologists and communists reject this idea.

The news ticker.

• France election

  :

  The result of the election in France at a glance.

• Rejected:

  The Left and Greens renounce an opposition alliance.

• Macron alliance in distress:

  According to initial projections, Emmanuel Macron's allies will lose their absolute majority in the parliamentary elections in France.

• Opposition strengthened:

  The left-wing alliance NUPES and the Rassemblement National come out of the second ballot stronger.

• France election 2022 live:

  All information on the parliamentary elections of the "Grande Nation" in our new ticker.

+++ 9.15 a.m .:

An alliance of France’s left and greens led by Luc Mélenchon has rejected the call for the formation of a joint parliamentary bloc – less than 24 hours after winning the second most seats in the parliamentary elections.

The split came as French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with members of his centre-right party to form a government after it unexpectedly lost its absolute majority in the second round of elections on Sunday (19 June).

On Monday evening (June 20) it was announced that Macron had invited the leaders of the opposition parties, including Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen, to the Élysée Palace for talks.

France election: Macron advises on new majorities

Update from June 21, 2022, 5:20 a.m .:

After the defeat of his Ensemble Alliance in the parliamentary elections, French President Emmanuel Macron will advise the leaders of the most important parties on Tuesday (June 21) about new majorities.

The representatives would be received individually for the talks on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Elysée Palace, according to those close to Macron.

The aim is to find “solutions in the interest of the French”. 

Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants a single parliamentary opposition group.

The Socialists, Greens/Ecologists and Communists reject the proposal.

© BERTRAND GUAY/AFP

France election: political blockade threatens

+++ 5.20 p.m .:

After the bitter election defeat for President Emmanuel Macron, the probes for a future government started in France on Monday.

For the first time in 30 years, the President can no longer rely on an absolute but only on a simple majority in Parliament.

His centre-camp now has to seek the support of other alliances in parliament, which is unusual in France.

A political blockade is feared, because the other blocs have so far committed themselves to a tough opposition course against Macron and his policies.

Now Macron's numerous reform projects could fail due to resistance from left and right.

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+++ 12.39 p.m .:

After losing the absolute majority in the parliamentary elections in France, government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire warned of a total blockade of government work.

"My concern is that the country will be blocked," Grégoire told France Inter on Monday (June 20).

In any case, government work will be “complicated” in the future, and only what is feasible can be enforced.

France election: Le Pen renounces party leadership

+++ 11:20 a.m .:

After the surprise success of her party in the parliamentary elections in France, the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen wants to concentrate entirely on her role as group leader in the future.

She will therefore not resume the presidency of the Rassemblement National party, which she had handed over to Jordan Bardella during her presidential election campaign, she announced on Monday in her constituency in Hénin-Beaumont.

"We are the strongest opposition party," stressed Le Pen.

France election: “Our country has been ungovernable since this morning”

+++ 10.35 a.m .:

The French daily Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace writes about the result of the parliamentary elections in France without an absolute majority for President Emmanuel Macron:

“As of this morning, our country is ungovernable and no one should have the nerve to be content with that.

(...) If politics in France is still a martial art where destroying is more important than building, the next five years will be years of total and toxic deadlock.

Reforms will not be able to be implemented, the government will be helpless in crisis situations and the sad comedy will end in a national tragedy.”

France election: government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire is disappointed

+++ 6.50 a.m .:

The parliamentary elections in France are over and the left-wing alliance Nupes replaces the conservative Republicans as the strongest opposition force.

"Are we disappointed?

Yes," said government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire after the second round of parliamentary elections.

Macron's electoral alliance remains "the first political force" but has lost strength, she acknowledged.

Budget Minister Gabriel Attal confirmed this mood: "This is far from what we had hoped for".

+++ 01:18:

The Interior Ministry has now published the result of the French election.

Update from Monday, June 20, 0.33 a.m .:

The result of the France election is certain.

According to the European news portal Euractiv, which refers to the French Ministry of the Interior, the Macron Alliance Ensemble has 251 seats and thus clearly misses the absolute majority.

The big winner, on the other hand, is Marine Le Pen, whose Rassemblement has 88 MPs in the National Assembly.

According to Euractiv, NUPES will have 135 seats.

This does not include 18 left-wing candidates from the overseas territories.

As a result, Jean-Luc Mélenchon missed his goal of becoming prime minister.

France election: Prime Minister Borne wants to take responsibility for coalition building

+++ 11:32 p.m .:

In the France election, Emmanuel Macron’s center alliance ensemble clearly missed the absolute majority.

Macron is the first president in over 30 years who has no absolute majority and has to hope for the votes of other camps.

"Tonight we have a new situation," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday (June 19).

Nevertheless, she was optimistic that a coalition could be formed.

"We have everything we need to be successful and we will make it together."

+++ 10:14 p.m .:

After the final round of the French parliamentary elections, left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon sharply attacked Head of State Emmanuel Macron and his camp.

"This is a total debacle of the presidential party," said Mélenchon in Paris in the evening.

Mélenchon also spoke of an "electoral defeat of Macronism".

He renewed the claim of the left-wing alliance he led to want to govern the country.

"All options are in your hands," he shouted in front of cheering supporters.

France election: Le Pen party celebrates best result in history

+++ 9.15 p.m .:

After the final round of the France election, the right-wing opposition party Rassemblement National (RN) celebrated its own election result as a breakthrough.

"It's a tsunami," party president Jordan Bardella said on TF1.

The French people have made President Emmanuel Macron a minority president, Bardella added.

According to projections, the right-wing nationalist party recorded significant growth.

+++ 8.40 p.m .:

According to projections, the clear winner of the French parliamentary elections is the new left-wing alliance Nupes, led by left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, which immediately moves into parliament with 150 to 180 seats.

The right-wing extremists in France under the failed presidential candidate Marine Le Pen also have reason to celebrate: Their party, the Rassemblement National, received 89 seats, more than ten times as many seats as in the last election in 2017.

France election: bankruptcy for Macron

+++ 8.05 p.m .:  

France’s re-elected President Emmanuel Macron clearly missed the absolute majority in the National Assembly with his center camp according to projections.

In the final round of the parliamentary elections on Sunday, the Liberals came to 210 to 250 of the 577 seats.

At least 289 seats are required for an absolute majority.

+++ 6.50 p.m .:

On the second day of the parliamentary elections in France, most French cities and municipalities have now closed their polling stations.

Polling is only possible until 8 p.m. in some polling stations in larger cities.

Just like in the first round, there was a low turnout this time: According to the Interior Ministry in Paris, the turnout was 38.11 percent up to 5 p.m., compared to 39.42 percent in the first round at this time.

At 38.11 percent, however, it was higher than in the 2017 general election at this time (35.33 percent).

+++ 1:36 p.m .:

In the second round of the parliamentary elections in France, there is a slightly higher turnout than in the first round.

By 12 noon, 18.99% of all those entitled had cast their votes.

In the first ballot, it was still 0.56 percent less at this time.

• The distribution so far looks like this: Affiliation of the newly elected MPs (17/577 allocated seats)

• NUPES: 13 (+5)

• Groups: 2 (-5)

• UDC: 1 (-1)

• Unknown: 1

France election: Macron appeals to compatriots

++ Update from Sunday, June 19, 7:28 a.m .:

At the end of the election campaign for the parliamentary elections in France, President Emmanuel Macron once again appealed to his compatriots.

A divided government would throw France into chaos.

In the run-up to the election, Macron said that he and his cabinet would need a “strong majority” in the spirit of a “higher national interest”.

The new left-wing alliance called NUPES, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, of course, sees things very differently.

Melenchon ridiculed Macron's appearance as a "PR stunt" reminiscent of former US President Donald Trump.

NUPES hopes to force the President and his government into "cohabitation," a power-sharing, by winning France's general election.

France election live: Macron alliance under pressure

Update from Saturday, June 18, 8:35 p.m .:

In France, the parliamentary elections on Sunday will enter the decisive second round.

Shortly after President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected for a second term, the French are electing a new parliament.

From 8 a.m. the approximately 48.9 million registered voters can cast their votes.

For Macron, it's about securing a parliamentary majority again.

After the first round of voting, it did not seem certain that the presidential camp would be able to maintain its absolute majority in parliament.

France election live: first polling stations open

Update from Saturday, June 18, 2:50 p.m .:

The second round of the French parliamentary elections officially started with the opening of the three polling stations on the French archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off the east coast of Canada.

While people on the French mainland traditionally only go to the polls on Sunday morning, due to the time difference in the overseas territories, voting on the distribution of seats in the 577-seat National Assembly can take place earlier.

Update from Friday, June 17, 4:55 p.m .:

Ministers in France are not allowed to be members of the National Assembly at the same time.

Nevertheless, many recently appointed ministers use the parliamentary elections to have themselves confirmed in office.

Among them is the Deputy Minister for Europe, Clément Beaune.

Known as “Monsieur Europe”, the long-serving Secretary of State for Europe is running for office in the seventh constituency in Paris.

Under a Sarkozy-era convention, members of the government who do not win a majority resign.

Fate also threatens Clément Beaune.

In the first round of the French election, "Monsieur Europe" was almost 5.6 percent behind lawyer and LGBTQ activist Caroline Mécary, who is running for the left-wing alliance NUPES.

Center-left Clément Beaune is dependent on Republican votes in the second round of the general election.

For Emmanuel Macron, Beaune's defeat would be a blow.

He has been working for the French President since Macron's time as Minister for Economic Affairs and was instrumental in his planned reforms of the European Union (EU).

France election: Macron alliance under pressure from the left

First report from Friday, June 17:

Paris – In the parliamentary elections in France, voters are faced with a directional decision.

Chaos threatens if he does not get a solid majority, Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday (June 14).

It is in the "interest of the nation" if his alliance ensemble wins the election.

In contrast to the presidential election, however, his warning did not refer to Marine Le Pen, but to the left-wing alliance NUPES.

France election: head-to-head race between Macron alliance and left-wing alliance NUPES

Alt-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon formed the alliance of various left-wing parties to have a chance in the French elections, which are based on the first-past-the-post system.

With success, as the first ballot of the parliamentary elections shows.

At 25.7 percent, NUPES is almost on par with the liberal alliance around Macron's Renaissance party (25.8).

According to the left - the left-wing alliance accuses the Ministry of the Interior of manipulation in the presentation of the results - they are even in first place with 26.8 percent because, among other things, votes from left-wing candidates in the overseas territories were not attributed to NUPES.

Due to the first-past-the-post system in the French election, the relative share of the votes for the distribution of seats and the question of who gets a majority in the National Assembly is irrelevant.

Instead, voters vote in 577 constituencies, each with a seat up for grabs.

Parliamentary elections in France: Macron allies go into the election with an advantage

Macron's Liberals are currently ahead.

In the first round of the general election, ensemble candidates received the most votes in 203 constituencies, while the left received the most votes in 195. Candidates from the Marine Le Pen-led Rassemblement National won the most votes in 110 constituencies.

In the second round of the French election, only those candidates who received at least 12.5 percent of the votes in the first ballot will compete against each other.

Forecasts see the Macron Alliance in the lead: Ensemble is to receive between 255 and 295 seats.

An absolute majority (from 289 seats) is therefore in danger.

The Liberals would have to form coalitions in order to be able to implement their plans.

Because of the majority voting system, which is supposed to ensure clear majorities, coalitions are unusual in France.

France election: The results of the first round of the parliamentary elections at a glance

France election: The influence of the left as an opposition to Macron is growing

Jean-Luc Mélenchon and NUPES are therefore missing their goal of being prime ministers after the parliamentary elections in France, according to an opinion research institute Odoxa, which has evaluated various forecasts, with 179 to 225 seats.

However, as the largest opposition faction, they will be able to put a lot of pressure on President Macron and his Liberals.

According to an Ifop survey, the left-wing alliance also knows that many French people are behind it: the most important demands of the left-wing alliance before the French elections convince the majority of those eligible to vote.

For Emmanuel Macron, governing is therefore not getting any easier.

(ms with dpa)