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Violent clashes break out in Paris after shocking exit poll results in French legislative elections

Posted on by angelo
Violent clashes break out in Paris after shocking exit poll results in French legislative elections

Violent clashes have broken out on the streets of France after a surprise victory by the left-wing coalition prevented the far-right from taking power in the country’s snap general election.

Protesters were seen throwing flares, setting fire to electric bikes and clashing with police as thousands of officers were deployed across France.

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The victory comes after the left-wing New Popular Front won 182 seats, followed by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance with 168 seats and the far-right National Rally in third with 143 seats – a blow to Marine Le Pen’s party.

The National Rally held a comfortable lead after the first round of voting late last month, but more than 200 candidates from the centre and left gave up seats to avoid splitting the vote to the detriment of Le Pen’s candidates.

Protests erupted in France after an exit poll showed the country's left-wing coalition had blocked the far-right from taking power

Protests erupted in France after an exit poll showed the country’s left-wing coalition had blocked the far-right from taking power (AFP via Getty Images)

After the results came in, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced he would resign. But with no party within 100 seats of an absolute majority of 289, Mr Macron asked him to stay on in the short term while France faces a political impasse.

Mr Macron even surprised his own allies by calling early elections after the RN made huge gains in the European elections, betting that French voters would block the far right.

The results mean Mr Macron is likely to face a parliament containing many hostile MPs for the final three years of his presidency, with the leader of the largest New Popular Front party, La France Insoumise (LFI), saying immediately after the exit poll that Mr Macron should invite his coalition to form a government.

Describing these projections as “an immense relief for a majority of the population of our country,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared: “The will of the people must be strictly respected (…) the defeat of the president and his coalition is clearly confirmed.”

But Mr Macron’s interior minister, Gérald Darminin, retorted that “no one can say that he won these legislative elections, and especially not Mr Mélenchon”.

Protesters climb the Monument to the Republic during a demonstration following the results of the legislative elections in France

Protesters climb the Monument to the Republic during a demonstration following the results of the legislative elections in France (Getty Images)

In a somber speech after polls closed, Le Pen’s protégé Jordan Bardella – who had ambitions to become prime minister – denounced the political manoeuvring that led the National Rally to fall far short of expectations.

“This evening, by deliberately taking responsibility for paralyzing our institutions, Emmanuel Macron (…) is consequently depriving the French of any response to their daily problems for many more months,” declared Mr. Bardella.