By: Cindy Pu

At the beginning of June, a snap election in the French parliamentary elections called by French President Emmanuel Macron left the country with no clear winner.

In France, the parliamentary elections have two rounds of voting. On June 30, 2024, the National Rally Party won the first round of voting. Many people thought they would also do well in the second round of voting and win the elections. However, on July 7, 2024, the official results of the second round of voting showed the New Popular Front coming in first place.

Just like the United Kingdom Parliament, the French Parliament is also bicameral, with members of the National Assembly elected by the voters just as the House of Lords in the U.K.t. When people vote for a candidate, they are voting for that person to have a seat in the parliament. There are a total of 577 seats in the National Assembly, but for a party to be allowed to rule, they need to win at least 289 seats out of the 577 seats.

The New Popular Front won the most seats, 182, but not enough for the majority. When this happens, it’s called a hung parliament. This means that the party with the most seats would need another party’s support to be able to pass laws for the country. When a hung parliament happens, the parties must combine ideas and work together to have a majority of seats.

President Emmanuel Macron is the one to decide who forms the new government of France. After he decides, there is a vote by the National Assembly. The final decision would be the choice of the majority. President Emmanuel Macron has to work with the new government, so he should choose a party that he can work well with.

Image Credit by Jo Kassis