French voters have elected a fractured National Assembly carved up into three blocs, with none close to the outright majority needed to form a government – raising the spectre of a long period of political paralysis.
With most voting constituencies counted, the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire led with 182 seats, according to tallies compiled by Le Monde newspaper, followed by President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble centrist alliance with 168. Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National secured 143 seats.