France elections latest: French PM offers to resign - as party leaders digest 'astonishing' exit poll
That's a wrap for our live broadcast tonight - thank you for joining us.
Here is the latest prediction from the exit poll...
A brief summary of the important events:
Having no clear majority leads to increased ambiguity.
Although the main focus of news stories is the National Rally's surprising drop to third place in the election, as shown by the exit poll, it's important not to overlook the broader significance of this vote.
According to the latest preliminary voting results tonight, France is experiencing a significant amount of political and legal uncertainty.
A party must win at least 289 out of the 577 seats in the National Assembly to have a majority.
Here is the most up-to-date forecast from the exit polls...
It appears that no party - whether it be on the left, center, or right - is predicted to have a majority by the end of the vote tally.
What does that signify?
In summary, it signifies an equal number of seats held by different political parties in a governing body.
Our reporter in Europe, Adam Parsons, explains that the French parliament will be divided into three different groups.
The largest political group, although not enough to have complete control, will be a group of left-leaning parties known as the New Popular Front.
The moderate faction, gathered around President Emmanuel Macron, has surprised everyone by taking second place against all odds.
"And the Rassemblement National, the party expected by many to come out on top, ended up coming in third place."
Many people dislike each other, which makes it difficult to predict the likelihood of forming alliances.
Prime minister has made a decision to step down following a disagreement.
The French prime minister resigned this evening because no party had a clear majority.
Gabriel Attal, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble party, followed the traditional Republican practice and tendered his resignation in the morning.
Even though we achieved results that were three times better than we initially expected.
There are rumors that President Macron may request him to remain in his position until the situation in parliament is more certain.
The current situation with the president is not easy to understand.
The left and center have come together to try to stop the strong far-right movement, but none of the major players except for Emmanuel Macron's group have supported him since the exit poll came out.
In reality, both Marine Le Pen from the right and Jean-Luc Melenchon from the left urged Mr Macron to step down from his role.
Just a heads up, the president doesn't have to hold an election for his position until 2027 according to the constitution. However, both the political left and right will likely try to push Mr. Macron to call for an early election.
With that being mentioned, a few professionals believe that his decision to schedule this parliamentary election has proven to be successful.
His party lost about 40 to 50 seats based on the exit poll. The far-left seems to have won most of them, but also prevented the surging right from gaining a majority or becoming uncontrollable.
What we still need to find out is if he can successfully create a wide-reaching alliance that includes various members of parliament.
Investors are feeling anxious and the value of the euro is dropping.
The financial impact of the uncertainty was also evident, as the euro decreased in value following the release of the exit poll results.
Market experts who spoke with Reuters believe that the markets will probably feel relieved that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party is predicted to come in third place. However, there is still anxiety about the possibility of the left taking control of the evenly divided parliament.
According to Jan von Gerich, who is the chief market analyst at Nordea, the left's economic plan is more challenging than the right's. Even though the left won't be able to lead independently, the French public finances are expected to worsen due to these outcomes.
Police in riot gear clashed with protesters in Paris.
Police officers were spread out extensively across France today before the polling stations closed.
It appears that some people have been summoned to gather at Place de la Republique in Paris.
Pictures reveal demonstrators throwing objects and small fires burning as night fell on the city.
It's uncertain who is currently in conflict with law enforcement.
Euro currency has dropped in value as investors prepare for the possible negative effects following the election.
The euro has fallen after tonight's predictions, which indicate that there will be no majority in France's parliament.
A surprising rise in support for the left-wing New Popular Front has caused markets to become unsure of what to expect, leading to the likelihood of increased instability in the future.
Although analysts interviewed by Reuters believe that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) will come in third place, they are confident that the markets will be relieved by this outcome.
However, there are still some people within the political circles who are worried about the idea of the left taking charge of the parliament that is currently deadlocked - the path forward for which has not been determined.
"The left's economic plan is causing more issues than the right's, and even though they cannot govern alone, the French public finances are getting worse due to these results," stated Jan von Gerich, the chief market analyst at Nordea.
In this article, Jeremy Corbyn discusses strategies for combating the far right.
Jeremy Corbyn, who recently won re-election in the UK's general election, has commented on the outcome of France's surprise election.
The ex-leader of the Labour Party spoke about the likely win for the New Popular Front (NPF) and emphasized the important message it sends to those who promote discord and anxiety.
Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party was in the lead in the polls after the initial round of voting, but is expected to be surpassed by the NFP and President Emmanuel Macron's liberal alliance Ensemble in today's second round.
The three-colored flag fluttered over the gathering crowd.
For those leaning towards conservative views, the evening is surely overshadowed by a strong feeling of letdown as the far-right National Rally (RN) party appears to be falling to third place in the exit poll.
Still, a large number of left or centrist French voters will be rejoicing well into the night today.
In Paris, people waved the French flag above a gathering while cheering and chanting below.
Newest prediction of seats by BFM
We have received a new estimate of the number of seats each party is projected to win in the National Assembly.
As per the report from BFM, the leftist coalition New Popular Front (NFP) is expected to win around 182-193 seats.
French President Emmanuel Macron's liberal coalition Ensemble is in second place, holding between 157 and 163 seats.
The far-right National Rally (RN) party is expected to secure between 136-144 seats, maintaining their position as the third-largest party.
Bardella could never imagine such a downfall
According to French political expert and author Dominique Moisi, Jordan Bardella did not expect to lose so badly in the French parliamentary elections.
Mr. Bardella's National Rally (RN) party was ahead in the polls after the first round of voting, but it seems they were unable to win a majority this weekend.
The New Popular Front, a group of left-leaning parties, and President Macron's centrist alliance Ensemble are both expected to come out in front of the RN party, but neither is predicted to win a majority on their own.
Over the past few days, Bardella came to the realization that it would be challenging for him to secure the position of prime minister. Mr. Moisi shared this with Sky News.
"However, he could not imagine such a decline in status, ending up in third place after hoping to be in first place for a while."
The National Rally party feels like they have been unfairly treated.
There were champagne bottles waiting to be opened at RN's main office, but the atmosphere quickly turned serious after the exit poll results were announced.
Our European reporter Adam Parsons is currently in Paris and heard Mr. Bardella's speech (refer to the update posted at 7:39 pm).
Adam described the speech as filled with frustration, anger, and disappointment.
To put it simply, he believes that they were tricked, and they should have won. He also thinks they have proven their capability and he is not giving up.
People in Paris are very excited, but Macron needs to pay attention to what they are saying.
Now we are hearing responses from the residents of Paris, France as they walk the streets.
Fay was in the 19th district when the exit poll results were released and described the atmosphere as being similar to that of a soccer game.
Everyone was pleased because Paris is a diverse city, and we understand that the extreme right poses a significant threat to minorities and women," he stated during an interview with Sky News.
We felt a great sense of relief. We are confident that France is against racism. We support the idea of a multicultural France. We don't believe France leans towards the far-right. In fact, we believe it is quite the opposite.
For years, the extreme right political groups have been gaining popularity in elections, and it appeared certain that eventually they would reach the highest positions in government.
When questioned about what actions French President Emmanuel Macron should take, Fay responds that it is very straightforward: "He needs to pay attention."
Macron needs to stop acting superior
The left did not win by a landslide, so he should put aside his arrogance and start paying attention to the desires of the people, he remarked.
They desire higher wages, they seek fairness and a good quality of life. They advocate for accessible public schools and hospitals.
Did Macron's risky decision work out?
After the surprising predictions of the exit poll, we consulted with a specialist to see if Emmanuel Macron's decision to have a sudden election was a success.
"It's quite surprising to see the statistics," expresses Agnes Poirier, commentator on politics and journalist, observing how we shifted from far-right to far-left in just one week.
Just a heads up that Marine Le Pen's National Rally is currently in the lead after the initial round of voting.
"And surprisingly, President Macron's risky move ended up being successful in various ways," states Ms Poirier.
She describes how he and his party have lost around 40 to 50 seats based on the exit poll, with the far-left gaining many of those seats - preventing the surging right from becoming too powerful or obtaining a majority.
"This is the advantage of having elections with two rounds," she explains.
Next, we will find out if President Macron is able to construct a widespread alliance.
