Macron alliance projected to lose parliamentary majority

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance was projected to lose its majority despite getting the most seats in the final round of parliamentary elections Sunday, while the far-right National Rally appeared to have made big gains.

The projections, which are based on partial results, say Macron's candidates would win between 230 and 250 seats much less than the 289 required to have a straight majority at the National Assembly, France's most powerful house of parliament. The situation, which is highly unusual in France, is expected to make Macron's political maneuvering difficult if the projections are borne out.

A new coalition made up of the hard left, the Socialists and the Greens is expected to become the main opposition force with about 140 to 160 seats. The National Rally is projected to register a huge surge with potentially more than 80 seats, up from eight before. Polling was held nationwide to select the 577 members of the National Assembly.

The strong performance of both the National Rally and the leftist coalition called Nupes, led by hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, is expected to make it harder for Macron to implement the agenda he was reelected on in May, including tax cuts and raising France's retirement age from 62 to 65.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the unprecedented situation is a risk to our country faced with challenges at the national level as well as at the international scale.