The results of a second round of elections in France on Sunday yielded a shocking win for the New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of left-wing parties that had joined to beat the surging far-right, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party. The RN had a large showing in the first round of elections held a week earlier. But by Sunday, the NFP had emerged with the largest number of seats in Parliament, with incumbent President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist wing winning the second-largest number, and Le Pen’s party coming in a close third.
With no clear majority, prospects for a hung parliament are high. Still, France’s left offers lessons for the United States, where turmoil within the Democratic Party could open the door to greater authoritarianism if former president Donald Trump wins in November.
Jean Bricmont, an author, academic, and political commentator based in Paris and Brussels, has been closely following the French elections and spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about lessons from the French left.