French vote gives leftists most seats over far-right, but leaves hung parliament and deadlock – National

French vote gives leftists most seats over far-right, but leaves hung parliament and deadlock – National

PARIS (AP) — A coalition of the French left won the most seats in high-stakes legislative elections Sunday, according to near-final results, beating back a far-right surge but failing to win a majority. The outcome left France facing the stunning prospect of a hung parliament and threatened political paralysis in a pillar of the European Union and Olympic host … Read more

France election candidates report getting attacked on the campaign trail – National

France election candidates report getting attacked on the campaign trail – National

In the final stretch before France’s high-stakes parliamentary elections Sunday, several candidates have reported being attacked on the campaign trail, including government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot. The French interior minister said Thursday that 30,000 police officers will be deployed on voting day, including 5,000 in the Paris region. Tensions are high as left-wing and moderate groups … Read more

Over 200 French election candidates bow out in bid to block far right in runoff – National

Over 200 French election candidates bow out in bid to block far right in runoff – National

Opponents of France’s National Rally (RN) stepped up their bid to block the far-right party from power on Tuesday as more candidates agreed to pull out of this weekend’s run-off election to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote. More than 200 candidates have confirmed they will not stand in Sunday’s second-round for France’s 577-seat national parliament, … Read more