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The future of France hangs in the balance, with the National Assembly fractured and no clear path to a majority for any of the major political blocs.
French President Emmanuel Macron took a huge risk by calling a snap election last month, after abysmal European parliament results saw his party trounced by the far right and the far left. Commentators debated whether the decision was brave or short-sighted.
Yesterday’s second-round parliamentary election run-off saw the Nouveau Front Populaire, an alliance of leftwing parties ranging from communists to centre left moderates, win a surprising victory, relegating Macron’s centrist alliance to second place, and leaving the far-right Rassemblement National trailing in third.
How effectively can the “republican front” of leftwing and centrist voices withstand the far-right threat, and how will the centrists coexist with the extremist left?
At 12PM BST, three FT experts will be poised to answer your questions about the results, what they mean for France and how they will affect the wider European project.
Tony Barber, the FT’s European comment editor and writer of the Europe Express Weekend newsletter, joins Andy Bounds, EU correspondent, and Anne-Sylvaine Chassany, the FT’s companies editor and former Paris bureau chief, to answer your queries live.
These journalists have all been closely following the campaign in Europe Express, the FT’s premium European politics and policy newsletter, which has been publishing in English and French since the election was announced (premium subscribers can sign up here).
To take part, please leave your questions in the online comments below this story. You can also upvote the comments you would most like our experts to tackle. They will respond to readers for an hour from 12pm BST on July 8.
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