What will happen in France after the election?

Whether to form a left coalition

France has been plunged into unprecedented uncertainty after no party won an outright majority in the second round of the National Assembly election.

In the event that no political bloc wins a majority of the seats, the bloc that usually wins the most seats has the priority to form a coalition cabinet or form a government on its own, but the French Constitution does not explicitly stipulate that the president must appoint a prime minister from the largest party.

French President Emmanuel Macron has so far not spoken publicly about the election results, and his aides say he will carefully analyse the will expressed by voters. This week, Macron will travel to the United States for a NATO summit in Washington. New MPS will start reporting for duty next Monday (15 July) and their first meeting will be held on 18 July.

Macron may seek to strike a deal with the moderate left to form a coalition government. But negotiations are likely to be difficult and far-left leader Melenchon has made it clear he will not form a broad coalition with other blocs.

In the centrist camp, the leader of Macron's party, Sejurna, said it was ready to work with mainstream parties but ruled out any deal with Melenchon's leftist Syriza.

Even if an agreement is reached, it is likely to take the form of a loose, informal alliance, and such cooperation is fragile.

It could take weeks for the various camps to form a government, and with the Paris Olympics less than three weeks away, France is likely to remain under a caretaker administration.

If the parties can't reach an agreement

Under the French constitution, new parliamentary elections cannot be held for the next 12 months, so an immediate re-vote is not an option.

If the parties fail to reach a political agreement, Macron could also appoint a party-independent technocratic government. A government of technocrats would only carry out day-to-day business and not carry out structural reforms.

The plan still needs the support of parliament, and it is unclear whether the left bloc will agree.