- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- New Zealand 4-0 up in America's Cup but British show signs of life
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years prison for French researcher
- 'Innocent' British nerve agent victim caught in global murder plot: inquiry
- Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years, 3 months jail for French researcher
- England ready for Pakistan's spin assault in second Test
- New Zealand's Ravindra excited for India Tests with father in crowd
- India's capital bans fireworks to curb air pollution
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- FIFA to open 'global dialogue' on transfer system after Diarra ruling
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Starmer vows to cut red tape as he urges foreign investors to 'back' UK
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- 'Not viable': Barcelona turns against surging tourism
- Hezbollah says targeted Israeli naval base after deadly drone strike
- Rice praises 'unbelievable' England interim boss Carsley despite uncertainty
- Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks
- England captain Stokes back from injury for second Pakistan Test
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone flights anger North
- Pakistan 'vigilantes' behind rise in online blasphemy cases
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- Smith experiment as Test opener over, Green out of India series
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Dodgers crush Mets 9-0 in MLB playoff series opener
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone tensions soar
- Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
- Shanghai stocks swing after stimulus briefing as most of Asia rises
- New Zealand's Latham promises 'no fear' as he takes charge for India Tests
- Kyrgios vows to 'shut up' doubters with December comeback
- Public hearings start into death of Brit by Russian nerve agent
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- 'Stolen satire' feeds US election misinformation
- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
What next for Macron after election humbling?
Just two months after being re-elected for a second term, French President Emmanuel Macron saw his hopes of pushing through his domestic agenda take a humbling blow on Sunday. What comes next?
His allies, known together as "Ensemble" (Together), looked on track to finish as the biggest party in parliament with 210-260 MPs, but far short of the 289 needed for a majority.
This scenario is extremely rare under modern France's presidential regime, even before a constitutional change in 2002 which was intended to make it easier for the head of state to secure a parliamentary majority.
The election will not affect French foreign policy in theory, which is the exclusive domain of the president, but Macron's domestic worries are likely to be a constant distraction and could undermine him abroad.
Here are the possible scenarios:
- Form an alliance -
Work on this will begin on Monday morning, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne vowed in a short speech on Sunday night.
In the middle of the biggest cost-of-living crisis in a generation, the ruling party was in a rush to pass an emergency bill to help low-income families before the summer holidays in August.
That along with other key parts of Macron's manifesto -- such as welfare reform or raising the retirement age -- will require the support of allies in the National Assembly.
"Together" is seen as most likely to reach out to France's traditional rightwing party, the Republicans (LR) and its centre-right ally UDI, which are on course for 55-77 seats, projections showed.
"We are going to form a majority very quickly," said Olivier Veran, minister in charge of parliamentary relations, sounding an optimistic note.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said that the ruling party would need "a lot of imagination" and he called on parties which shared Macron's "clear ideas" to support him.
Although some inside LR are known to be in favour of working with Macron, including former president Nicolas Sarkozy, party head Christian Jacob ruled it out on Sunday.
"As far as we are concerned, we campaigned as an opposition party, we are in the opposition and we will stay in opposition," he said.
But is this a negotiating tactic, perhaps to attract offers of ministerial posts and other concessions?
If an alliance were formed, Macron would have to shift rightwards, but might be able to push through his cherished tax cuts, welfare and pension reform.
- Bill-by-bill negotiations -
In the absence of a formal alliance, the minority government will need to rely on support from opposition parties for each piece of legislation.
This will require long negotiations before each bill is brought to a vote -- and leaves the government vulnerable to last-minute withdrawals that could lead to defeat.
Again, the Republicans will be key, given that support from the hard-left NUPES alliance or the far-right National Rally will be ruled out.
"You can govern with a minority so long as the opposition parties do not join forces against you," Dominique Rousseau, a constitutional law expert at the Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne University, told AFP.
Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard headed a minority left-wing government from 1988-1991 after gains by the right in parliamentary elections in 1988.
"It was hell," his cabinet director Jean-Paul Huchon was quoted as saying in Le Point magazine recently.
Borne is expected to go before the new parliament in the coming weeks to give her first speech and will face a highly uncertain confidence vote which could bring her down.
Even if the low-key career civil servant passes that test, she will be constantly vulnerable to a censureship motion that will bring down the government.
To pass legislation, the French constitution does give Macron a tool to force through bills, article 49.3 of the constitution.
This enables the prime minister to ram legislation through without any parliamentary debate, but it can also be overturned if a majority opposes it within 24 hours of its use, and can only be used once every parliamentary session.
"Ungovernable" said the headline of a column in Les Echos newspaper.
- New elections -
As a final resort, if the parliament remains deadlocked and no stable government can be formed, Macron has one other option: dissolving the assembly and calling new elections.
But the outcome of this would be highly uncertain, with anger growing about inflation and support increasing for anti-establishment parties such as Melenchon's France Unbowed and Le Pen's National Rally.
Much would depend on whom voters blamed for the deadlock.
S.Gregor--AMWN