Last night's tumultuous parliamentary elections in France saw President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist alliance achieve one key goal - preventing the hard-right from taking power.

For weeks it looked as though the party of his arch-nemesis Marine Le Pen would storm the polls, the only question being whether the National Rally (RN) would win with an absolute majority.

But the hard-right matriarch was humbled by the French electorate yesterday who instead gifted victory to the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, led by the France Unbowed (LFI) party's Jean-Luc Melenchon. 

Now though, with the overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats split fairly evenly between three factions, France's politics is set to descend into chaos. 

Many of the key parties are bitterly opposed - for example, Macron and Melenchon have already ruled out negotiating with one another's parties, as many centrists see the radical left LFI as being just as extreme as the RN.

And even if elements of the NFP alliance hash out some kind of deal and form a coalition government, the left-wing bloc is unlikely to be able to pass any of its key proposals if centrists and members of the RN vote against them. 

With Macron's presidency coming to an end in 2027, three years of political paralysis in France could well give Le Pen all the ammunition needed to fight her way to the top. 

Now though, with the overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats split fairly evenly between three factions, France's politics is set to descend into chaos. 

Many of the key parties are bitterly opposed - for example, Macron and Melenchon have already ruled out negotiating with one another's parties, as many centrists see the radical left LFI as being just as extreme as the RN.

And even if elements of the NFP alliance hash out some kind of deal and form a coalition government, the left-wing bloc is unlikely to be able to pass any of its key proposals if centrists and members of the RN vote against them. 

With Macron's presidency coming to an end in 2027, three years of political paralysis in France could well give Le Pen all the ammunition needed to fight her way to the top.