France’s leftist coalition demands the right to form a government

Newly elected parliament members of the Socialist Party in France (Michel Euler/AP)

The leftist coalition that won the most seats in France’s National Assembly in surprise results has demanded the immediate right to form a government, even though no grouping won a majority of seats.

It is unprecedented in France’s modern history to have a fractured parliament. Sunday’s vote raised the risk of paralysis for the European Union’s second-largest economy.