French lawmakers re-elect Macron-ally Braun-Pivet as speaker in blow to left

Yael Braun-Pivet, newly elected President of the National Assembly, and members of parliament applaud candidate member of parliament Andre Chassaigne after results in the third round of votes during the first session after the French parliamentary elections, at the National Assembly in Paris, France, July 18, 2024. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Source: REUTERS

Lawmakers in France's National Assembly on Thursday handed centrist politician Yeael Braun-Pivet, a loyal ally of President Emmanuel Macron, a second term as speaker in a tight win over the candidate from the left.

Braun-Pivet scored 220 ballots while her main rival for the job, veteran communist lawmaker Andre Chassaigne, received 207 votes in a close race that required three rounds of voting.

The lower house of parliament was meeting for the first time since this month's inconclusive election in which the leftwing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance unexpectedly came first, ahead Macron's centrists and Marine Le Pen's far right, but no one group won a majority.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters