Macron loses Parliamentary majority in stunning setback

FRANCE: French voters have denied newly re-elected centrist President Emmanuel Macron an absolute majority in parliament, limiting his hand in a second term.

Macron’s centrist alliance Ensemble! came first in Sunday’s second round of legislative elections, securing 245 out of a total of 577, according to final results released by the French interior ministry — more than any other political party.

However, it still fell short of the 289 seat threshold for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, France’s lower house.

Leftist coalition New Ecological and Social People’s Union (NUPES), a pan-left coalition led by far-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon, came in second with 131 seats, according to the interior ministry’s results.

That would make NUPES the main opposition force in the country, though the coalition is expected to be divided on some issues once in Parliament. On the other end of the political spectrum, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party meanwhile won a record 89 seats, putting it in third place.

“This group will be by far the largest in our political history,” said Le Pen, who was also re-elected as MP.

Just like in the first round of the election earlier in June, the vote on Sunday was marked by a low voter turnout, with abstention over 53%. – CNN