French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday asked his prime minister to stay in the role for now, pending what will be difficult negotiations to form a new government after a surprise left-wing surge in elections that delivered a hung parliament. The leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly after Sunday's election, thwarting Marine Le Pen's quest to bring the far right to power. However, with no single group securing a working majority, the outcome heralded a period of political volatility just before the Paris Olympics and raised uncertainty among investors about who would run the euro zone's second largest economy. The range of possibilities include the NFP forming a minority government or the cobbling together of an unwieldy coalition of parties with almost no common ground. For in-depth analysis on France's highly complex political landscape, FRANCE 24's Annette Young is joined by Rainbow Murray, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London.
