Leftists cheer, centrists upset over French election results
STORY: "These results mean so much to me, there’s immense joy in seeing that Macron does not have an absolute majority and that NUPES are a step ahead for the next five years," 17-year-old NUPES supporter Megane Cleopatre said.
The atmosphere was much more sombre over at the Macron camp, as the newly re-elected president's centrist 'Ensemble!' alliance looked to end up with the most seats, but fall far short of the 289 seats in the lower house required for an absolute majority. The NUPES bloc, led by hard left veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon, was set to become the main opposition group, while the far-right scored record-high wins.
A Macron supporter who gave his name as Clement, told Reuters that he's disappointed and worried about the uncertainty ahead. "We don’t know what will happen next, what deals will take place. Will the parliament group be able to function or will they make compromises with other groups?" he questioned.
Final results released by the interior ministry in the early hours of Monday confirmed that Macron now faces a hung parliament. It's expected to open up a period of political uncertainty that would require a degree of power-sharing among parties not experienced in France in recent decades.
