France plunged into ‘unprecedented turmoil’ just DAYS before Olympics after shock far-left election victory sparks riots
FRANCE has been plunged into political turmoil after shock election results just weeks before the Olympics begin.
Riots have broken out across the country following the shock election results after New Popular Front (NFP) – a left-wing coalition which did not exist a month ago led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon – secured the most seats in parliament.
The NFP was forged after French President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election in May.
It is made up of politicians from the moderate Socialist, green Ecologist, French communist and hard-left France Unbowed parties.
It’s not currently known who will be in charge of the country as French president Emmanuel Macron has yet to acknowledge the results.
In a wholly unexpected result, the left-wing NPF was on course to win between 182 and 193 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, but is well short of the absolute majority of 289.
The deadlock could take weeks of background negotiation before a new government is formed.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is often compared to Jeremy Corbyn, claimed victory and demanded that the front be allowed to form a government.
He said: “The defeat of the president and his coalition has been clearly confirmed. The president must … admit his defeat.”
However, Macron’s allies rebuffed his demands, saying that the left had secured too few MPs to run the country.
Macron’s centralist party is set to win up to 163 MPs, putting him ahead of populist hard-right National Rally led by Marine Le Pen.
The Rally’s chairman Jordan Bardella, 28, claimed that the party had been deprived of victory by an “unnatural alliance” between Macron’s camp and the left.
He said: “Unfortunately this unnatural alliance of Macron with the extreme left deprives the French of the path of recovery.
“These agreements have thrown France into the arms of the extreme left.”
France may need a new constitution if President Macron is unable to build a rainbow coalition.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal offered his resignation on Sunday evening following snap elections that resulted in a hung parliament.
He said: “Our country is facing an unprecedented political situation and is getting ready to host the world in a few weeks.”
“No majority has emerged … tomorrow a new era will begin.”
Meanwhile riots have broken out across France following the shock result.
Despite predictions of a huge win for the far-right, a calculated move from centre and left-wing politicians delivered an eleventh-hour blow to Marine Le Pen.
Violent riots and demonstrations exploded across the country this past week as left-leaning protestors took to the pavements to rage against an expected right-wing gain.
But following the drastic win for the NFP coalition – chaos ensued again with dramatic pictures showing mayhem in the streets.
Protesters hurled smoke flares and set fire to bins and cars in the capital as people both celebrated and fought back against the result.
Videos emerged on social media of police trying to quell the unrest, which looks to have been from both left and right-wing supporters.
French outlet Visegrad 24 claimed the far-left were celebrating the win by “attacking police”.
Tens of thousands of riot cops – including 5,000 in and around Paris – were deployed to make sure the “radical right and radical left do not take advantage of the situation to cause mayhem”, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said.
The fate of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has overseen all the security preparations for the Games, is also in the balance.
History and sports professor at the Paul Dietschy Universite of Franche-Comte told AFP: “What organisers worry about the most are things like delinquency and crime, and of course terrorism, as well as traffic conditions.
“The interior minister is the most important position.”
Darmanin said last week that if the far-right National Rally or hard-right France Unbowed party formed a government, then he would resign immediately.
He told AFP: “The Olympic Games have been very well-prepared. Everyone knows it and everyone welcomes it.”
The local organising committee and the International Olympic Committee were both blindsided by Macron’s election gamble so close to the start of the July 26-August 11 Games — as were most government ministers and voters.
