By: Jerry Zhang

Since the French elections on July 7, 2024, the country has been plunged into uncertainty, with none of the three main political groups securing a majority in parliament. This situation arose after President Emmanuel Macron, leader of the centrist coalition, called a snap election on June 10, 2024 following significant gains by the far-right National Rally in the European Union elections.

With none of the three major political parties securing a clear majority of 289 seats in the French Parliament, policy making now requires interparty communication for laws to pass. Negotiations are ongoing to create a coalition to prevent a never-before-seen political deadlock in France. However, if these negotiations are unsuccessful, the French government may cease to operate effectively.

Elections in France are held somewhat similarly to U.S. Congressional elections. Each of the 577 constituencies elects one representative to the French Parliament in two rounds of voting. In the first round, candidates must receive more than 50% of the votes and at least 25% of the registered voters to win outright. However, if none of the candidates meet this threshold, a second round of voting is held. To qualify, one had to receive at least 12.5% of registered voters’ support or be one of the top two candidates from the first round. The candidate with the most votes in the second round wins.

Coming first in this most recent election was the New Popular Front, a left-wing political party, which won 182 out of 577 seats in the French Parliament. This party campaigned on a platform that included lowering the retirement age from 64 to 60 (after it was previously raised from 62 to 64 in 2023), freezing the price of gas and energy, increasing the minimum wage, and other goals focused on the middle class.

In second place, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance secured 168 seats. This attempt to consolidate power has been a major loss for the centrist alliance, which held 250 seats before this election, making it far more difficult for him to maintain his policy positions or address public issues. With Macron’s term ending in 2027, this significant blow to his political power may spell an early end to his presidential career and force him to hand over domestic governance to the New Popular Front.

In third place is the National Rally, an anti-immigration party that won 143 seats. This is surprising, especially due to their overwhelming victory in the first round of elections, winning 34% of the vote, which upset predictions of a National Rally victory.

The result of this election has left France in a precarious predicament with no majority party to lead parliament. This poses a serious threat to the country, as a hung parliament may be unable to pass policies to address pressing issues. With the Paris Olympics just on the horizon, the future remains uncertain.