Thousands of protesters gathered in Paris on Sunday (7) to demonstrate against the far-right, after exit poll projections for the second round of elections indicated the possibility of a fragmented parliament, with a left-wing alliance unexpectedly taking first place.
Protesters cheered, chanted and set off fireworks at Place de la République in central Paris.
The results, based on projections by opinion pollsters, were a setback for Marine Le Pen’s nationalist and eurosceptic National Rally (RN) party, which polls had predicted would be the largest party but which now appears likely to end up in third place.
It was also a blow to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who called the election after his coalition’s defeat in European Parliament elections last month.
The election will leave parliament divided into three large groups – left, centrists and far-right – with extremely different platforms and no tradition of working together.
The uncertainty caused by Sunday’s election result comes as France prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
With less than three weeks to go until the opening ceremony, there is no clear choice for prime minister as no party won a majority in Sunday’s election.
There is already a shadow over the Games, with some swimming events in doubt due to high concentrations of E. Coli bacteria in the water, which is not safe for swimming according to standards set by World Triathlon.
Authorities have also spent at least $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine River.
*With information from Reuters
Source: CNN Brasil
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