What happens next in French elections?

One Essential Read

Recommended by Edson Caldas, Newsletter Editor

Three-way run-offs and horse-trading

A protesters holds a French national flag as people gather to protest against the French far-right National Rally, at the Place de la Republique following partial results in the first round of the early 2024 legislative elections, in Paris.

French parties are rushing to build a front against the far right. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

It will be a busy week for French politics. With the Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) winning the first round of snap parliamentary elections, the country is the closest it has been to having a far-right government since World War Two.

Now, political parties are seeking to build a united front aimed at blocking RN's path to power. This explainer shows how the second round of the election on July 7 will work.

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Behind the news

"What's about to start, and has actually already begun, is a furious week of horse-trading between the main political parties," Deputy Bureau Chief Gabriel Stargardter said on today's Reuters World News podcast.

"Traditionally, in France, center right and center left parties have joined forces to block the RN from taking power. They've been seen as toxic, and the political establishment will do anything to keep them out. But as the RN support has grown in the last few decades, that dynamic is less certain than ever. So really, it's all still to play for."

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