As Macron fades and far right surges, French left senses an opening

The collapse of support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in legislative elections Sunday has ignited hope among the French left that it can recast itself as the primary competition to the rising far right in the country.

An alliance of leftist parties, the New Popular Front, came in second in the election, garnering 28 percent, behind the far-right National Rally, which won 33 percent. Macron’s centrist alliance secured only 21 percent, and is projected to lose more than half of its Assembly seats.

As France now braces for a second round of voting Sunday that could bring a far-right government into power, the New Popular Front coalition has become “the only alternative” to National Rally, far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said Sunday. But centrist critics say the leftist alliance is too divided and too extreme to be the far right’s primary opponent.