It's a sensational victory for the French left, according to exit polls.
The country's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who belongs to the center alliance Ensemble, which becomes the second largest, will submit his resignation.
For the far-right party National Rally (RN), which was predicted to win, the prognosis means a defeat.
No group appears to have an absolute majority. The prognosis shows a very even race, which may change as the votes are counted throughout the evening and night.
In the same second as the result from the exit poll became clear, an enormous cheer spread at the Socialist Party's election party, where hugs are exchanged.
A huge relief, says a voter to TT before joining the rest of the room in singing the Marseillaise.
Party leader Olivier Faure shouts "Bravo to us all" to the crowd, which chants "Olivier" back.
Tonight, France has said no to RN, he says.
According to the prognosis, NFP will get between 172 and 215 seats, Ensemble between 150 and 180 seats, and RN, together with their allies, between 115 and 155 seats, writes AFP.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who belongs to President Emmanuel Macron's party, will submit his resignation tomorrow morning since the center alliance will not have a majority in the National Assembly, he says according to French media.
Macron says in a statement that he will not make a decision about a new government yet.
Ready to Govern
The majority has chosen a different path for France, says Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party Unsubmissive France, the alliance's largest party closely followed by the Socialist Party, at his party's election party according to AFP.
He has called on Attal to resign and said that the left-wing coalition is ready to govern the country. The alliance NFP was formed when President Emmanuel Macron announced new elections four weeks ago, with the aim of preventing favored RN from winning.
Besides Unsubmissive France and the Socialist Party, the alliance also includes the Greens Ecologists and the French Communist Party.
High Voter Turnout
The voter turnout appears to be around 67 percent – a high figure compared to previous years.
After the first round, it was the far-right party RN that became the largest with 34 percent of the votes.
We will strengthen our work in opposition, says a disappointed Jordan Bardella, leader of RN, who was tipped to become the country's next Prime Minister, at the election party.
Our victory has only been delayed, says his running mate Marine Le Pen to TV channel TF1.
The new election to the National Assembly will determine who becomes Prime Minister and gets to form a government – and cooperate with President Emmanuel Macron.
577 seats in parliament are to be elected. For a majority, 289 seats are required.
If there is no party with a clear mandate to govern, Macron could choose a government of experts unbound to political parties. Such a government would likely mainly administer the necessary daily work to keep France going. Such a solution would, however, require parliamentary approval.
Macron could also need to seek a Prime Minister to the left.
If the political talks after the election take too long, Macron's center government could function as a transitional government over the summer and the Olympics.
Source: AP
