French left celebrates as far right faces surprise defeat
France's far-right National Rally was widely expected to win this snap election, but projections say they have been beaten into third place.
A left-wing alliance called New Popular Front are on course for victory...
National Rally (RN) [Le Pen, far-right] won the first round of this election, and all the opinion polls since then predicted victory in the run-off round.
RN leader Jordan Bardella blamed "unnatural political alliances" for stopping their rise to power.
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...voters who had backed the centre or the left in the first round then pivoted to a rival party a week later, with the single aim of keeping the far right from taking control of parliament.
Mr. Bardella complained that millions of French voters had been deprived of a response to France's cost of living crisis by what he condemned as "alliances of dishonour".
Vive Alliances of dishonour! Come to America!
