The Ensemble! coalition led by Macron only gathered 245 seats in parliament, meaning that it will not be able to lead the country on its own. Photo: Shutterstock

The Ensemble! coalition led by Macron only gathered 245 seats in parliament, meaning that it will not be able to lead the country on its own. Photo: Shutterstock

On Sunday 19 June, French citizens voted for a new parliament. French president Emmanuel Macron’s coalition Ensemble! with 245 seats in the National Assembly no longer has an absolute majority. 

The alliance needed 289 out of 577 seats to obtain that position but saw these taken by other political groups. 

The left-wing Nupes coalition--led by leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon--which consists of the union of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, the Parti socialiste, the France insoumise and the Parti communiste managed to win 131 seats. The National Rally, the far-right group of the French Republic, turned eight mandates into 89, a record for the party. 

The legislative elections also had its highest abstention rate since 2017 with 53% to 54% of eligible citizens not showing up to cast their vote.