٠٠:٠١:٤٦A heavy police presence can be seen on the Place de la Republique in Paris, as demonstrators let off fireworks after exit polls projected a win for the New Popular Front (NFP) bloc in the second round of the French parliamentary elections on Sunday.
Footage shows police in riot gear standing next to vans and armoured lorries fitted with water cannons blockading the streets around the square.
Thousands of French voters gathered on the square, chanting 'Everyone hates fascism' and holding a large banner reading 'France is a fabric of migration'. Some climbed the Monument to the Republic, where the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, is surrounded by statues representing the nation's founding values of liberty, equality and fraternity, with a lion guarding ballot box at its base.
After the exit polls were reported, the NFP leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called on French President Emmanuel Macron to admit defeat and invite the NFP to govern, saying that 'the President must bow down and accept this defeat' which he described as 'a massive popular vote of no confidence', adding that 'the President has the power and the duty to call on the NFP to govern.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Rally (RN) party Jordan Bardella issued a warning over the 'alliance of dishonour and dangerous electoral arrangements' formed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Bardella said the move 'is tonight depriving the French people of a recovery policy' and could now 'throw France into the arms of Jean-Luc Melenchon's extreme left'.
Pollsters Ipsos, Ifop and Elabe following the vote suggest that a seismic shift has taken place after opinion polls during the campaign put the anti-immigration National Rally (NR) bloc out in front. Exit polls project the left-green NFP to secure between 171 and 199 seats, with Macron's Ensemble coalition in second and the NR bloc in third place. The French National Assembly holds 577 seats, with 289 required for an absolute majority.
The NFP brings together green and liberal parties including La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, The Ecologists (coalition), the French Communist Party, Generations, and Place Publique. Following anti-immigration party NR's lead in the first round of the vote, the parties came together to create a 'republican front' to 'block the advance' of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's party.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap legislative vote following huge losses for his Renaissance party in the EU Parliament elections, which saw a huge surge for Jordan Bardella's NR. The election had not been expected until 2027.
Across the EU bloc, conservative, nationalist and anti-immigration groups also made large gains. Many called for a focus on domestic priorities amid the soaring cost of living, as well as lower taxes, better border security and an end to foreign military interventions, such as in Ukraine.
France's election was held over two rounds, on June 30 and July 7, to elect all 577 members of the National Assembly. Macron has not held a majority in parliament since 2022 and has used executive powers to pass legislation like his pension reforms, which have seen huge protests.
On stand by - Heavy presence of riot police in Paris as NFP takes lead in French elex
A heavy police presence can be seen on the Place de la Republique in Paris, as demonstrators let off fireworks after exit polls projected a win for the New Popular Front (NFP) bloc in the second round of the French parliamentary elections on Sunday.
Footage shows police in riot gear standing next to vans and armoured lorries fitted with water cannons blockading the streets around the square.
Thousands of French voters gathered on the square, chanting 'Everyone hates fascism' and holding a large banner reading 'France is a fabric of migration'. Some climbed the Monument to the Republic, where the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, is surrounded by statues representing the nation's founding values of liberty, equality and fraternity, with a lion guarding ballot box at its base.
After the exit polls were reported, the NFP leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called on French President Emmanuel Macron to admit defeat and invite the NFP to govern, saying that 'the President must bow down and accept this defeat' which he described as 'a massive popular vote of no confidence', adding that 'the President has the power and the duty to call on the NFP to govern.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Rally (RN) party Jordan Bardella issued a warning over the 'alliance of dishonour and dangerous electoral arrangements' formed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Bardella said the move 'is tonight depriving the French people of a recovery policy' and could now 'throw France into the arms of Jean-Luc Melenchon's extreme left'.
Pollsters Ipsos, Ifop and Elabe following the vote suggest that a seismic shift has taken place after opinion polls during the campaign put the anti-immigration National Rally (NR) bloc out in front. Exit polls project the left-green NFP to secure between 171 and 199 seats, with Macron's Ensemble coalition in second and the NR bloc in third place. The French National Assembly holds 577 seats, with 289 required for an absolute majority.
The NFP brings together green and liberal parties including La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, The Ecologists (coalition), the French Communist Party, Generations, and Place Publique. Following anti-immigration party NR's lead in the first round of the vote, the parties came together to create a 'republican front' to 'block the advance' of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's party.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap legislative vote following huge losses for his Renaissance party in the EU Parliament elections, which saw a huge surge for Jordan Bardella's NR. The election had not been expected until 2027.
Across the EU bloc, conservative, nationalist and anti-immigration groups also made large gains. Many called for a focus on domestic priorities amid the soaring cost of living, as well as lower taxes, better border security and an end to foreign military interventions, such as in Ukraine.
France's election was held over two rounds, on June 30 and July 7, to elect all 577 members of the National Assembly. Macron has not held a majority in parliament since 2022 and has used executive powers to pass legislation like his pension reforms, which have seen huge protests.
A heavy police presence can be seen on the Place de la Republique in Paris, as demonstrators let off fireworks after exit polls projected a win for the New Popular Front (NFP) bloc in the second round of the French parliamentary elections on Sunday.
Footage shows police in riot gear standing next to vans and armoured lorries fitted with water cannons blockading the streets around the square.
Thousands of French voters gathered on the square, chanting 'Everyone hates fascism' and holding a large banner reading 'France is a fabric of migration'. Some climbed the Monument to the Republic, where the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, is surrounded by statues representing the nation's founding values of liberty, equality and fraternity, with a lion guarding ballot box at its base.
After the exit polls were reported, the NFP leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called on French President Emmanuel Macron to admit defeat and invite the NFP to govern, saying that 'the President must bow down and accept this defeat' which he described as 'a massive popular vote of no confidence', adding that 'the President has the power and the duty to call on the NFP to govern.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Rally (RN) party Jordan Bardella issued a warning over the 'alliance of dishonour and dangerous electoral arrangements' formed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Bardella said the move 'is tonight depriving the French people of a recovery policy' and could now 'throw France into the arms of Jean-Luc Melenchon's extreme left'.
Pollsters Ipsos, Ifop and Elabe following the vote suggest that a seismic shift has taken place after opinion polls during the campaign put the anti-immigration National Rally (NR) bloc out in front. Exit polls project the left-green NFP to secure between 171 and 199 seats, with Macron's Ensemble coalition in second and the NR bloc in third place. The French National Assembly holds 577 seats, with 289 required for an absolute majority.
The NFP brings together green and liberal parties including La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, The Ecologists (coalition), the French Communist Party, Generations, and Place Publique. Following anti-immigration party NR's lead in the first round of the vote, the parties came together to create a 'republican front' to 'block the advance' of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's party.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap legislative vote following huge losses for his Renaissance party in the EU Parliament elections, which saw a huge surge for Jordan Bardella's NR. The election had not been expected until 2027.
Across the EU bloc, conservative, nationalist and anti-immigration groups also made large gains. Many called for a focus on domestic priorities amid the soaring cost of living, as well as lower taxes, better border security and an end to foreign military interventions, such as in Ukraine.
France's election was held over two rounds, on June 30 and July 7, to elect all 577 members of the National Assembly. Macron has not held a majority in parliament since 2022 and has used executive powers to pass legislation like his pension reforms, which have seen huge protests.