France Election Polls 2023

Incumbent PM to Stay On as Victorious French Left Seeks Replacement

Following the left's shock victory in the first round of France's parliamentary elections, incumbent Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has announced that she will remain in her post while the victorious left-wing coalition seeks a replacement.

The left-wing coalition, NUPES, currently holds 88 seats in France's National Assembly, but polls suggest it could become the biggest party in the Assembly following the second round of voting on June 19.

This would be a major upset, as the left has not held a majority in the Assembly since 1997. The far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party is also expected to make gains in the second round, but polls suggest it will not be able to challenge NUPES for the largest number of seats.

The results of the first round of voting have sent shockwaves through the French political establishment. President Emmanuel Macron's centrist La République En Marche! (LREM) party lost dozens of seats, and the traditional center-right Les Républicains (LR) party was all but wiped out.

Macron has said that he will work with whoever wins the parliamentary elections, but it is unclear how he will be able to govern if the left wins a majority. NUPES has promised to roll back some of Macron's reforms, including his tax cuts for the wealthy and his changes to the labor market.

The second round of voting in the parliamentary elections will be held on June 19. The results will determine the composition of the new National Assembly and the future of Macron's presidency.