Riots erupt in France as hard-left bloc led by ‘French Jeremy Corbyn’ ruin Le Pen’s hopes of power in shock election
RIOTS erupted in France overnight following the most shocking election in the country's history.
Despite predictions of a huge win for the far-right, a calculated move from centre and left-wing politicians delivered an eleventh-hour blow to Marine Le Pen.
In a bombshell twist, the New Popular Front (NFP) - a left-wing coalition which did not exist a month ago - has secured the most seats in parliament.
Violent riots and demonstrations exploded across the country this past week as left-leaning protestors took to the pavements to rage against an expected right-wing gain.
But following the drastic win for the NFP coalition - chaos ensued again with dramatic pictures showing mayhem in the streets.
Protesters hurled smoke flares and set fire to bins and cars in the capital as people both celebrated and fought back against the result.
read more on world news
Videos emerged on social media of police trying to quell the unrest, which looks to have been from both left and right-wing supporters.
French outlet Visegrad 24 claimed the far-left were celebrating the win by "attacking police".
Tens of thousands of riot cops - including 5,000 in and around Paris - were deployed to make sure the “radical right and radical left do not take advantage of the situation to cause mayhem”, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said.
Police allegedly fired tear gas at groups of demonstrators, according to reports from the ground shared on X.
The NFP was forged after French President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election in May.
It is made up of politicians from the moderate Socialist, green Ecologist, French communist and hard-left France Unbowed parties.
France Unbowed - the largest party in the left coalition - is led by the controversial Jean-Luc Melenchon, who has been compared to the UK’s former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Taking advantage of France's two-stage voting system, some candidates from the coalition dropped out in certain areas to give their allies a better chance of beating Le Pen's far-right candidates.
In an enormous example of nationwide tactical voting - more than 200 centre and left candidates stepped down to spark this morning's shocking result.
Melenchon told voters last night: "The far right is far from a majority tonight... The election result is the outcome of a magnificent mobilisation effort.
"The president has to bow and admit this is a defeat... the prime minister needs to leave."
But without the 289 seats out of 577 needed for a total majority, French government is set to be paralysed by a chaotic hung parliament - possibly for years to come.
Macron’s prime minister Gabriel Attal vowed to resign on Monday morning following the result - which has put the President’s party behind the NFP with 168 votes.
Le Pen's hard right dragged behind in the polls with 143 seats.
French politics expert gives their take on 'fragmented' result
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
Laura Montecchio from King's College London, who studies radical right-wing politics in France, spoke to The Sun about the shocking result.
She told us the surprising final seat tally shows how crucial "voter mobilisation" is in the country, where its unique two-stage voting system lends itself to tactical voting.
But Montecchio dubbed the new government "fragmented" as France is faced with a hung parliament.
Some 200 centre and left politicians stepped down and asked voters to cast their ballots tactically to keep Marine Le Pen's right-wing candidates from victory.
Montecchio told The Sun: "The resurgence of the left in the final round of voting has underscored the crucial role of voter mobilisation particularly among the youth."
Pictures of demonstrators across France on Sunday night through Monday morning showed young voters out in their droves, celebrating the win for the Left.
However, the NFP coalition - made up of socialists, communists, green candidates and hard-left wingers - didn't pull out a majority.
The country now faces a tough challenge ahead with a hung parliament.
France's government could be in for a chaotic few years - with two many cooks in the kitchen.
And the biggest parties, covering a wide berth on the political spectrum, have a fractious and divisive relationship.
Laura dubbed it a "fragmented left, which lacks an absolute majority", following the surprising result.
She told The Sun that the coalition's win does highlight the "significant influence the far right wields over French and European politics".
Voter turnout hit 60 per cent, the highest rate in France since 1981.
Attal, who warned that the right sat at the "gates of power" after the first round of voting, praised the “French spirit” for ensuring “none of the extremes can claim a majority”.
He said last night: "Tonight, although Ensemble has won three times the number of seats predicted, we don’t have a majority.
"And so I will hand in my resignation to the President of the Republic."
Macron took a gamble in calling the snap election last month - which appears to have backfired.
Le Pen's RN party was expected to claim victory in the parliamentary election after winning the first round of polling last weekend with a third of the vote.
Hundreds of left-wing protesters flooded the streets and clashed with cops in Paris as they set off fireworks and flares in response.
Dozens of protesters also scaled the Place de la Republique as police and firefighters attempted to squash tensions.
Dramatic pictures show fires raging and shop windows smashed.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Cops unleashed tear gas while firefighters tried to put out blazes.
France has not been under far-right leadership since World War Two when Philippe Pétain and his prime minister Pierre Laval headed the Vichy regime that collaborated with the Nazis.
How do French elections work?
THE French public choose their president and MPs in separate elections - unlike in the UK where the country's leader, the PM, is determined by which party has a majority in parliament.
There are 577 seats - and constituencies - in France's National Assembly.
For an absolute majority in government a party would need 289 seats.
France's parliamentary elections are made up of two rounds, with the first kicking out anyone who fails to win 12.5% of votes in their area.
If any candidates get more than 50% of the vote in their area, and at least a quarter of the local voter pool turns out to cast their ballot, they win a seat automatically.
This doesn't happen very often, but Marine Le Pen's RN party thought this time it could happen in dozens of seats.
They did very well in the first round of elections - securing a third of the vote.
The second round, for any seats which candidates do not win outright, is then a series of knock-outs fought either by two, three or sometimes four candidates.
Some 200 candidates from across the centre and left dropped out before the second round on July 7 to give their allies a better chance over right-wing candidates in a three or four-way race.
French leaders urged voters to act tactically to stop the far-right surge.
The huge mobilisation appeared to work as the results, announced on Monday July 8, saw Le Pen's party place third.