Emmanuel Macron was soundly defeated in the French elections… but the defeat of the far right faced the surprise victory of the left-wing alliance

EMMANUEL Macron has been trounced again in the latest exit poll for the French election – but the prediction comes as a shock as the far-right loses in an extraordinary victory for the left-wing alliance.

If the projections are correct, Marine Le Pen’s party is not living up to the expectations of many observers and leaders.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal revealed today that he will hand in his resignation to President Macron on Monday morning.

He added that he will serve as long as necessary.

The left appears to be the main winner tonight, with the number of seats held by President Macron’s supporters having fallen considerably.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the far-left La France Insoumise party, the largest member of the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition, addressed his supporters after the exit poll results.

He said: “The far right is far from being in the majority this evening… The result of the elections is the fruit of a magnificent effort of mobilisation.

“The president must bow down and admit that this is a defeat… the prime minister must go.”

The party of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and its allies lagged behind in the polls as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won the first round of legislative elections on Sunday.

His party won 33 percent of the vote, while the left-wing New Popular Front came in second with 28 percent.

Macron’s centrist bloc is lagging behind with just 20% of the vote, the Interior Ministry said.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has said that the far right is at the “gates of power”.

Macron took a risk by calling early elections last month, which appears to have backfired.

30,000 additional police officers have been deployed across the country, including around 5,000 stationed in Paris

The developments come after hundreds of left-wing protesters took to the streets and clashed with police in Paris, where they threw fireworks and flares.

Dozens of protesters also climbed Place de la République as police and firefighters tried to calm tensions.

Dramatic images show raging fires and smashed shop windows.

Police used tear gas as firefighters tried to put out the fires.

France has not had a far-right leadership since World War II, when Philippe Pétain and his prime minister Pierre Laval led the Vichy regime that collaborated with the Nazis.

At least 289 votes are needed to obtain an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.