Britain and France are sitting on opposite ends of a political see-saw. Three days after the UK elected a pragmatic, centrist government with a huge majority, France went to the opposite extreme. Sunday’s legislative elections have produced a deadlocked parliament, with both the far right and the far left gaining ground.
In Britain, the period of political chaos that began with the Brexit vote of 2016 may finally have ended. But in France, a prolonged period of political instability is probably just beginning.
Relief that the far-right Rassemblement National performed worse than expected in the second round of voting cannot disguise the fact that the centre ground in French politics is shrinking — and with it the authority of President Emmanuel Macron. The calm of London on election night last week contrasted strongly with the fevered atmosphere in Paris on Sunday evening.