No absolute majority for Macron after elections

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron will not have an absolute majority in the upcoming National Assembly following the second round of legislative elections held on Sunday, according to the final results published early Monday morning by the Interior Ministry, reported Xinhua.

Macron's alliance Ensemble won 245 seats, falling short of the 289 seats required for an absolute majority.

Left-wing alliance NUPES led by Jean-Luc Melenchon won 131 seats and the far-right National Rally led by Le Pen made history with 89 seats, according to the official results of the Interior Ministry.

The abstention rate of the second-round vote stood at 53.77 percent, compared to 57.36 per cent in 2017, the ministry added.

According to French news channel BFMTV, the ministers of Macron's cabinet who are not elected as deputies in their constituency will have to leave the government.

Macron, who defeated Le Pen to secure his second presidential term in April, had an absolute majority in the National Assembly during his first term. - Bernama