A leftwing alliance snatched victory from the far right in the final round of the French parliamentary elections. But will France now fall into political deadlock? Angelique Chrisafis reports
Last week, France faced a terrifying new era after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party secured a historic victory in the first round of parliamentary elections. It marked an unprecedented success for a far-right party in France in the years since the second world war.
But then came the fightback. French leftwing parties – from greens to socialists – banded together and encouraged their supporters to vote tactically, even withdrawing candidates so there would be no split political allegiances.