The Guardian reports Exit Poll Shows Shock Win for Left-Green Alliance

The polls are closed in France and the first projections have been published.

France's national assembly has 577 seats, with 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.

Here is the first projected seat distribution, from Ipsos. It shows the left in the lead, in a major shift compared to opinion polls during the campaign.

Left-green New Popular Front: 172-192 seats

Emmanuel Macron's allies: 150-170 seats

Far right National Rally and allies: 132-152 seats

What Happened?

The short answer is the center and left colluded to stop the right, as normally happens.

The long answer is France has a two-stage election where any party that gets 12.5 percent of the vote makes it to round two unless someone wins an outright majority in round one.

As typical in France, all but the lead or second place party drop out of the election so the Right faces a single opposition candidate.

Success for Macron?

This was no victory for Macron who called snap elections. Macron's Ensemble coalition currently has 249 members of the National Assembly.

After this "win" Ensemble will have 150-170 seats.

Macron will come to regret the elections.

I discussed this in advance so all I have to do is copy what I said on June 30: President Macron's Party Blown Out in First Round of French Parliament Elections

Given Marine Le Pen's priority is to become the next president of France, National Rally will be in a better position if it falls short and Jordan Bardella is not the next prime minister.