Macron loses seats to left and far right

Macron's grouping set to lose absolute majority as both left and far right gain

- Angelique Chrisafis

Emmanuel Macron’s centrist grouping has lost its absolute majority in parliament, amid gains by a new left alliance and a historic surge by the far right, according to projected results in Sunday’s election.

After five years of undisputed control of parliament, the recently re-elected Macron, who is known for his top-down approach to power, now enters his second term facing uncertainty over how he will deliver his domestic policy such as raising the retirement age and overhauling state benefits. His centrists will need to strike compromises and expand alliances in parliament to be able to push forward his proposals to cut taxes and make changes to the welfare system.

Macron’s Ensemble (Together) remains the biggest grouping in parliament but it suffered significant losses in what media called a “crushing defeat” and an “earthquake”. Political analysts deemed the results a “severe failure” for Macron’s centrist alliance, which missed the absolute majority by a large margin, in contrast to its landslide win five years ago.

Projections by Ipsos pollsters, based on partial results, showed Macron’s centrists would win about 230 seats — much less than the 289 required to have an absolute majority at the National Assembly.

A historic alliance of parties on the left, led by the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed party with the Socialists and the Greens, increased its seats to become the largest opposition group, poised to win about 149 seats.