CV NEWS FEED // The results of the 2024 French parliamentary snap elections have managed to shock the country even more than President Emmanuel Macron did when he called the elections in the first place.
In the aftermath of Macron’s so-called “political gamble,” France now faces an unprecedented situation: the previously projected winners in the country’s right-wing party lost out to a coalition of center-left and left-wing parties—but no party managed to secure a majority, leaving the country’s premier legislative body divided.
What follows is an explainer on the French parliamentary system, the results of the election, and projections for the country’s future.
France’s parliamentary system and EU parliament influence
The Parliament of France acts as the legislative branch of the country’s government and is split into two bodies: the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) and the Senate (Sénat).
The National Assembly is the lower house and functions as the dominant body of the French Parliament, having the final say in legislative decisions over the currently conservative-led Senate, which is the upper house.
National Assembly members are elected directly, serve for five-year terms, and are called deputies, while senators are chosen through an indirect election and serve six-year terms. Senate elections are held every three years to rotate out half of the chamber at a time.
The National Assembly consists of 577 parliamentary seats, which represent the country’s 577 constituencies. Much like in the UK, one party must emerge with a majority in parliamentary elections for their respective political leader to become prime minister.
In France, one political party must secure at least 289 seats for a majority.
France’s political parties
Unlike in the US and much like in the EU, France has many political parties that range from far-right to far-left and include various “centrist” parties in between.
For strategic reasons, namely, to gain parliamentary majorities and secure shared legislative goals, these parties often form coalitions.
In the 2024 National Assembly elections, three main coalitions (or “parties”) emerged: Macron’s center-left Renaissance party, France’s left-wing New Popular Front coalition, and the right-wing National Rally (Rassemblement National), previously known as Front National.
Notably, as reported by the BBC, the New Popular Front emerged less than a month ago and is an amalgamation of center-left and left-wing parties, which have all criticized each other in the past.
Key Players
Renaissance: Center-left-wing party
Party Leader: Current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal
President: Emmanuel Macron
New Popular Front (left coalition party): France Unbowed, Socialists, Communists, Greens
Party Leader: not announced
President(s)/Founder(s): France Unbowed, Jean-Luc Mélonchon, Socialist Olivier Faure, Communists Fabien Roussel, Greens Marine Tondelier
National Rally: Right-wing party
Party Leader: Marine Le Pen
President: Jordan Bardella
President Macron’s Role
Macron shocked French citizens across the country in an unexpected public address on June 9 during which he announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and the subsequent “snap elections,” which took place on June 30 and July 7.
The announcement came in the aftermath of Macron’s party suffering heavy losses in the EU parliamentary elections.
“I think the French are intelligent, they see what’s being done, what’s coherent and what’s not, and they know what to do,” Macron stated in defense of his decision. “I don’t believe at all that the worst can happen. You see, I’m an indefatigable optimist.”
Many left-wing and center-left media outlets and commentators have categorized Macron’s decision both then and now as a reckless political gamble. Around the time of the announcement, the so-called “far-right” National Rally had been projected to win a majority, making the French president’s move appear contradictory.
Now, Macron’s “election gamble” is viewed with ire as neither Macron’s center-left nor the left-wing New Popular Front managed to secure a majority, resulting in a blocked Parliament.
Macron’s presidential term does not end till 2027.
Election Results
In the first round of elections on June 30, the National Rally party secured a 33.15% majority vote, while the New Popular Front came in second with 27.99%, and Macron’s party trailed behind with 20.76%.
The results of the first round were unprecedented, as France hasn’t seen a right-wing majority in Parliament since World War II.
The National Rally secured 38 seats in the first round, while the New Popular Front secured 32 seats, Macron’s party gained just 2 seats, and the minority Republican Party finished with one seat.
However, in the second round of elections this past weekend on July 7, a surprising turn of events saw Macron’s party win a surprising 166 seats, the New Popular Front 150 seats, and the National Rally party just 105 seats. The minority Republican party gained 44 seats.
In the end, despite projections of right-wing victory and waves of leftist protests against that prospect across the country, the two major left-aligned parties emerged with the most seats: the New Popular Front in first with 182 seats, and Macron in second with 168.
The National Rally came in third with 143, and the Republicans managed to snag 45 seats.
Since none of the three main parties managed to secure a majority of 289—even the New Popular Front is nowhere near close, still needing 107 seats to clinch legislative power—the French Parliament is now widely considered to be blocked.
The leader of Macron’s party, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, initially announced his intention to resign from office on July 7 following the results of the second round, only performing duties as needed with the already controversial 2024 Paris Olympics fast approaching.
However, Macron has reportedly denied the resignation, asking the PM to stay “for the time being in order to ensure the country’s stability.”
Future Projections
“While a fractured parliament is not uncommon in Europe, France has not experienced that in its modern history,” AP News pointed out in a July 8 report.
As of now, the country must negotiate a new, functional government out of its divided legislative body and elect a prime minister from among the three contending parties.
“The split lower house will require lawmakers to build consensus across parties to agree on government positions and a legislative agenda,” the report concluded. “France’s fractious politics and deep divisions over taxes, immigration and Mideast policy make that especially challenging.”
