France’s political future was up in the air on Thursday with the far right surging in polls but other forces fighting to the end three days before a high-stakes parliamentary vote.
Depending on the result, President Emmanuel Macron could be left in a tense “cohabitation” with a prime minister from an opposing party.
Or he could find himself with a parliament unable to produce a stable majority to govern the European Union’s second economy and its top military power.
Surveys suggest voters could hand the National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen more than 32 percent support, with a left alliance on up to 30 and Macron’s centrists in the dust at around 20 percent.
But even France’s seasoned pollsters are struggling to predict a final result. July 7’s second-round run-off ballots — many expected to be three-way fights — could see voters shift allegiances and new alliances of convenience …