Jordan Bardella

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's hard-won new government faced pressure from day one on Sunday, as it came under fire from opponents on both the left and far right, which are now the largest blocs in parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen for rare talks Monday, as pressure mounts for him to finally name a prime minister after July's inconclusive parliamentary poll.

As European leaders flock to Washington for the NATO Summit, selecting the new European leadership is in full swing in Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen is engaged in a series of meetings to prevent any accidents in the secret ballot in Strasbourg next week.

Marine Le Pen's far-right party was poised Monday to strike an alliance with that of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the EU parliament, a day after being dealt a surprise defeat in French elections.

The United Left "New Popular Front" is leading after the second round of early parliamentary elections in France, with a voter turnout exceeding 67%. President Macron's centrists have secured the second position. According to initial estimates, the "New Popular Front" will hold between 175 and 205 seats.

France votes in legislative elections Sunday that will be decisive in determining its political future and could see the far right become the largest party in parliament for the first time.

Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the left-wing Greek opposition SYRIZA party, congratulated the United Kingdom's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party for their "huge victory" in Thursday's elections.

In a social media post on Friday, Kasselakis praised Labour's mission as an inspiration to all progressive parties in Europe. 

French far right three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen Thursday said her National Rally (RN) party was still capable of winning an absolute majority in the second round of legislative elections this weekend.

A campaigner distributes election leaflets of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) for RN candidate Sandrine Chadourne on July 2, 2024 at a market in Libourne, southwestern France.

People gather at Republique plaza to protest the far-right National Rally, which came out strongly ahead in first-round legislative elections, Sunday, June 30, 2024.