Melenchon says French left should form one group in new parliament

PARIS (Reuters) - France's left-leaning parties which jointly campaigned as the Nupes alliance for Sunday's lower house election should now form one group to become the second largest in the National Assembly after President Emmanuel Macron's centrists, Jean-Luc Melenchon said on Monday.

Melenchon, a far-left veteran, told reporters his suggestion was mainly based on the fact that, separately, the far-left, communists, socialists and greens forming the Nupes would each have fewer members than the far-right Rassemblement National.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Gareth Jones)