{"id":178329,"date":"2024-07-08T13:45:36","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T12:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/?p=178329"},"modified":"2024-07-08T13:45:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T12:45:36","slug":"what-the-mood-is-like-in-france-after-surprise-election-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/what-the-mood-is-like-in-france-after-surprise-election-results\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Mood Is Like in France After Surprise Election Results"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The final tally confirms that the left has the most seats in the National Assembly, with the far right third. Now, there\u2019s a scramble to figure out a way forward.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-01-gvhl\/08france-election-01-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"A crowd of people, many with their hands up. Some stand on a structure and some hold French flags.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"sizeLarge layoutHorizontal css-nlqgyf\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"css-ktho12 e3rygrp0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-ImageCaption\"><em><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Crowds gathered in the Place de la R\u00e9publique in Paris after the second round of elections. They danced, hugged and congratulated one another.<\/span><span class=\"css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-103l8m3\">\n<div class=\"css-1u5onbp epjyd6m1\">\n<div class=\"css-165eim7 ey68jwv0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAnd now, what do we do?\u201d blared the front page headline of Le Parisien, a daily newspaper, as the shock of Sunday\u2019s\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/07\/world\/europe\/france-election-results-left-surges.html\">election results<\/a>\u00a0began to sink in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The day after a historic election, France awoke to final results that none of the polls had predicted. The left-wing coalition\u2019s\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/07\/world\/europe\/france-election-new-popular-front-far-right.html\">New Popular Front<\/a>\u00a0took the\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/07\/world\/europe\/france-election-results-left-surges.html\">most seats in the National Assembly<\/a>, but nowhere near enough to form a government, followed by President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s centrist coalition, which lost scores of seats. Finally, in third place, was the party that pollsters and pundits alike had expected to lead \u2014 the\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/25\/world\/europe\/france-national-rally-rebranding.html\">far-right National Rally<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now the question gripping the country was who would govern France, and how.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a country with little taste for political compromise and collaboration, it is unclear how a government can be formed and take on the important work of passing the country\u2019s budget and enacting new laws.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-large css-bkbwf1 e1g7ppur0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-1pq3dr9\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?ssl=1\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-02-gvhl\/08france-election-02-gvhl-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"People sitting at desks with papers.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1g9ic6e ewdxa0s0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\"><em><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Counting votes in Paris on Sunday. The runoff results were not what polls had predicted.<\/span><span class=\"css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Monday morning, one question was answered, but seemingly only for now. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Mr. Macron\u2019s party and once a favorite of the president\u2019s, offered his resignation, but Mr. Macron asked him to stay on for the time being \u201cto ensure the country\u2019s stability,\u201d the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Macron will now need to wrestle with whom he wants as prime minister. The challenge will be naming someone capable of forming a government that the newly seated lawmakers on the left and the right will not topple with a no-confidence vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The president\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/10\/world\/europe\/france-macron-elections-analysis.html\">called the snap election<\/a>\u00a0a month ago, after the Euroskeptic far right\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/09\/world\/europe\/france-european-elections.html\">walloped his pro-European party<\/a>\u00a0in the elections for the European Parliament. The domestic vote, Mr. Macron had explained, would offer a \u201cclarification\u201d for the country. Put simply, he was asking his fellow countrymen if they could really allow the far right into power when so many consider its views a danger to society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<section id=\"2024-07-07-france-map-embed\" class=\"interactive-content interactive-size-scoop css-1vobcg1\" data-testid=\"inline-interactive\" data-id=\"100000009558743\" data-source-id=\"100000009558743\">\n<div id=\"embed-id-100000009558743\" class=\"css-17ih8de interactive-body\" data-sourceid=\"100000009558743\">\n<div id=\"g-2024-03-29-international-elections-results\" class=\"birdkit-body g-2024-03-29-international-elections-results\" data-preview-slug=\"2024-03-29-international-elections-results\" data-birdkit-hydrate=\"150eb255a400b6da\">\n<figure class=\"g-wrapper hp-results-embed svelte-13ig1yh g-needs-margin-block\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"g-block g-block-margin svelte-1jrfrvl\">\n<div class=\"g-block-width g-max-width-600px svelte-1jrfrvl\">\n<div class=\"g-embed-container svelte-txdzpc\">\n<div class=\"g-hed svelte-txdzpc\">\n<div class=\"g-block g-block-margin svelte-1jrfrvl g-margin-inline\">\n<div class=\"g-block-width g-max-width-body svelte-1jrfrvl\">\n<h3 class=\"hed results-link svelte-txdzpc\"><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer id=\"interactive-footer\" class=\"css-16hdkb3 interactive-footer\">\n<p id=\"interactive-credit\" class=\"css-1648plh interactive-credit\" data-testid=\"credit\">By Matthew Bloch, Andrew Park, Urvashi Uberoy and V\u00e9ronique Brossier<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the end, the answer seemed to be that many could not envision that scenario. That included the left-wing parties and some of Mr. Macron\u2019s centrists, who came together to form a so-called dam against the National Rally by withdrawing scores of candidates in three-way races.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, the country seemed more muddled than before, with three big political blocs, each with a vastly different vision and plan for the country. The electoral map showed enduring divisions \u2014 with Paris and its suburbs voting for the left and center, and the regions in the far north and south along the Mediterranean voting for the far right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Le Parisien summed up the state of affairs this way, in the coda to its editorial: \u201cWhen the clarification plunges into the thickest fog.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The country was mired in \u201cthe biggest confusion,\u201d announced an editorial in the conservative daily\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/kiosque.lefigaro.fr\/reader\/4902cd23-d8bd-4419-9d98-1ef4d0fae466?origin=%2Fcatalog%2Fle-figaro%2Fle-figaro%2F2024-07-08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Le Figaro<\/a>. \u201cThe National Assembly of tomorrow will be more ungovernable than yesterday\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The editorial vowed to readers to \u201cchart a path in the fog of this crisis without end.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-large css-hxpw2c e1g7ppur0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-1pq3dr9\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?ssl=1\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-03-gvhl\/08france-election-03-gvhl-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in a doorway near French and European Union flags.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1g9ic6e ewdxa0s0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\"><em><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Prime Minister Gabriel Attal offered his resignation, but the president asked him to stay on for the time being.<\/span><span class=\"css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Ludovic Marin\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cEverything is possible and everything is imaginable,\u201d said Jean-Philippe Derosier, a professor of public law at the University of Lille, who was interviewed at length on a special radio program dedicated to the election on France Info in the morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Much of the country was in shock. Going into the election, all of the polls had suggested that the far-right National Rally was poised to win the most seats. The question was whether it would win enough to assemble an absolute majority and take over both the prime minister\u2019s office and cabinet appointments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe flip \u2014 a spectacular reversal,\u201d read the headline of an\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/kiosque.la-croix.com\/liseuse\/?epub=https:\/\/kiosque.la-croix.com\/ccidist-ws\/bayard\/la_croix\/issues\/2265\/#\/pages\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">editorial<\/a>\u00a0in La Croix, a Catholic daily.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To some, the results seemed a clear rejection of the National Rally\u2019s anti-immigration ideology, even though the party and its allies made big electoral gains, securing about 140 seats, about 50 more than the National Rally had before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The front page of the business daily Les Echos was covered by a large photograph of the party\u2019s president,\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/08\/world\/europe\/jordan-bardella-france-eu-elections.html\">Jordan Bardella<\/a>, with the short biting headline: \u201cThe slap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The reaction in financial markets was muted on Monday morning, with France\u2019s CAC 40 stock index steady, although down nearly 4 percent since the election was announced on June 9.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But investors have expressed concern that a gridlocked Parliament will make it harder for a heavily indebted France to mend its finances, which could pose problems for the government down the road.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFrance\u2019s budget problems have not disappeared,\u201d said Alex Everett, an investment manager at Abrdn, an investment company based in Britain. \u201cMacron\u2019s attempt to force unity has instead fueled yet more discord.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The sense of relief and joy in the country\u2019s capital \u2014 which blocked out the far right \u2014 was palpable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">People thronged into the city\u2019s perennial place of protest, the Place de la R\u00e9publique. They danced, they hugged, they congratulated one another. Fireworks exploded overhead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI am relieved,\u201d said Charlotte Cosmao, 33, a set designer, who was at the edge of the square drinking a celebratory beer with a friend. \u201cI am happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-large css-hxpw2c e1g7ppur0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-1pq3dr9\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?ssl=1\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-04-gvhl\/08france-election-04-gvhl-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"People walking near McDonalds and KFC.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1g9ic6e ewdxa0s0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\"><em><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Many shop owners in Paris had boarded up their storefronts out of concern for riots.<\/span><span class=\"css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">In a different Place de la R\u00e9publique 140 miles southwest of Paris in the city of Le Mans, a smaller celebration occurred. The region had also blocked the far right from getting any seats. One of the defeated candidates was Marie-Caroline Le Pen, a daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, a founder of the party. (Another daughter, Marine Le Pen, is a longtime leader of the National Rally, and won her seat outright in the first round of the election.)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable and completely unexpected,\u201d Damien Fabre, 36, a history teacher, said at the celebration in Le Mans, while someone nearby screamed that there were no fascists in the region to a chorus of cheers. \u201cIt changes the whole political future of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe were beginning to get used to the idea of having a relative majority for the National Rally,\u201d said Mr. Fabre, who was involved in the campaign of a candidate for the far-left France Unbowed party. \u201cNow a way for the left has opened: though it may not be able to implement its platform, at least it will be able to be in an offensive position and set the pace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Though the night ended with some confrontations on the streets with the police in parts of the country, the vote did not give way to a surge of violence that many, including the interior minister, anticipated. Some 30,000 police officers had spread across the country \u2014 5,000 in and around Paris, where the far right is particularly unpopular and where the authorities worried that protests might turn violent if it won. Many shop owners in the city had boarded up their storefronts along the capital\u2019s most famous street, the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, expecting looting and riots that did not happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-large css-hxpw2c e1g7ppur0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1pq3dr9\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?ssl=1\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/07\/08\/multimedia\/08france-election-05-gvhl\/08france-election-05-gvhl-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"Police officers and others on a street.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1g9ic6e ewdxa0s0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\"><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Despite some confrontations on the streets with the police in parts of the country, the vote did not give way to a surge of violence that many had anticipated.<\/span><span class=\"css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Among supporters of the far right, many drawn to its promises of tax relief, less immigration and increased state services, there was clear disappointment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey call us fascists, but that doesn\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d Claire Marais-Beuil, a newly elected National Rally politician, said at her small victory party in a local cafe in Beauvais, in northern France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019m worried for my France,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s going to become ungovernable, and all of the things that we wanted to do will be blocked or difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There was also a question of whether the left\u2019s win was more a rejection of the far right than an endorsement of the left-wing coalition\u2019s platform. The newly formed coalition had called on voters last week to help it form a barrier \u2014 the \u201cdam\u201d or \u201cRepublican front\u201d \u2014 against the surging National Rally to keep it from power. It even pulled 130 of its candidates from three-way races and threw its support behind opponents to beat the National Rally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The left-leaning Lib\u00e9ration newspaper\u2019s\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liberation.fr\/idees-et-debats\/editorial\/legislatives-deux-vainqueurs-la-gauche-et-la-republique-20240707_FVMFKBTZ2ZB6VG3MMJSTRPKIWU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">editorial<\/a>\u00a0gave credit to the left for defeating what it termed a xenophobic right. The editorial began: \u201cThanks to whom? Thanks to the Republican Front.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But that vote, it said, obliged the left-wing New Popular Front to \u201clive up to the maturity of voters.\u201d The editorial asked the coalition to be humble, tone down its partisanship and address many voters\u2019 deep feelings of downward mobility \u2014 d\u00e9classement in French \u2014 that feed the far right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Do not forget, it tells the left\u2019s leaders, that the \u201cextreme right is more powerful than ever in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Liz Alderman\u00a0contributed reporting from Beauvais, France<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The final tally confirms that the left has the most seats in the National Assembly, with the far right third&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1664,1610,1,136,1084],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs","category-election","category-home","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa6gfq-Koh","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178333,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178329\/revisions\/178333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asyarfs.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}