Surprise win for leftwing alliance predicted in French election exit poll
Marine Le Pen's National Rally falls into third place despite strong showing in first round of voting
A leftwing alliance was on track to become the biggest force in the French parliament on Sunday after tactical voting held back the far right, but the shape of the future government remained uncertain after no group looked set for an absolute majority.
The surprise result for the left - which was projected to win up to 192 seats, followed by president Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance and the far right in third - showed the strength of tactical voting against Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN). The far right and its allies had forged a commanding lead in the first round but were ultimately held back by massive tactical voting to prevent them winning enough seats to form a government.
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