A far-left political coalition that unexpectedly formed ahead of France's snap election is projected to win a majority of the parliamentary seats up for grabs and the country's prime minister has announced his intention to resign, taking the country into unforeseen territory and possible turmoil.
As the election results became known, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that he would resign on Monday.
President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance was projected to win the second-most seats, while the far-right alliance was projected to take third place.
Macron called for early elections just four weeks ago, after the right-wing National Rally (RN) party scored a huge success in the European Parliament elections in June. Polls ahead of the first round had suggested that RN would continue to dominate. However, more recent polls ahead of the second round indicate that those results have waned and that RN will not win a clear majority.
French elections: Polls show right-wing party leading second round as opponents call for tactical vote
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech after the second round of legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
The first round was held on June 30, and as a result, only 76 of the 577 electoral districts of the French National Assembly determined their representative. Candidates who did not obtain an absolute majority in the first round of voting moved on to a second round, which took place on Sunday.
Heading into the election, France was set to elect the RN as the largest party in government, although it was possible that no party would emerge with a clear majority in the hotly contested election.
As the results began to come in, projections shifted to the left, meaning that any alliance lacked a majority, threatening to plunge France into an economic and political crisis.
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Founder of far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Melenchon, delivers a speech at the party's headquarters on election night, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Final election results are not expected until late Sunday or early Monday morning.
Macron took a big gamble when he called for early elections, and projections show the gamble may not have paid off for the unpopular president and his alliance, who lost control of parliament.
Although the far-right RN party significantly increased the number of seats it now holds in parliament, the results did not meet the party's expectations.
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Supporters of the Socialist Party react after the second round of legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, at their election night headquarters in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged Macron to invite the leftist New Popular Front coalition to form a government, given projections that put him at the head.
Macron's office said the president would “wait for the new National Assembly to organise itself” before making any decision.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booth before voting in the second round of legislative elections in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Voting began Sunday in mainland France in a crucial runoff election that could either deliver a historic victory to Marine Le Pen's far-right, inward-looking, anti-immigrant National Rally party or produce a hung parliament and political deadlock. (Mohammed Badra, Pool via AP)
A hung parliament, with no bloc coming close to securing the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the more powerful of France's two legislative chambers, would be uncharted territory for modern France.
In France, there is no tradition of legislators from rival political camps joining together to form a functional majority.
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The projections, if confirmed by official counts, will mean intense uncertainty for a pillar of the European Union and its second-largest economy, with no clarity over who might partner with Macron as prime minister to govern France.
Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
