France's allies relieved by Le Pen loss but wonder what's next

Many of France's allies breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after Marine Le Pen's far-right party failed to win a snap election, but they noted that a messy coalition from a hung parliament could also pose headaches for Europe.

Le Pen's National Rally had been favourite to top the polls, raising the risk of France's first far-right government since World War Two and threatening to upend economic and foreign policy in the euro zone's second-largest economy.

In particular, Ukraine's allies feared a Le Pen-led government could be soft on Moscow and pare back military aid that Kyiv has relied on since the Russian attack in 2022, though her party has latterly said Russia was a threat.

The National Rally's defeat signals at least a temporary pushback against a far-right surge in Europe, but could herald a period of instability with a new government in an uneasy "cohabitation" with President Emmanuel Macron.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government was "relieved" that Macron did not have to accommodate Le Pen.

Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck also lauded efforts to prevent a "drifting towards nationalism and thereby moving Europe into even more difficult waters".

"But nevertheless the election result will now represent an enormous challenge, especially for France itself, but of course also for Europe, which is currently in the phase of reorganisation after the European elections, and also for the German-French relationship," Habeck added.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a positive tone.

"In Paris enthusiasm, in Moscow disappointment, in Kyiv relief. Enough to be happy in Warsaw," Tusk said on X.

Le Pen's party meanwhile was set to join a newly minted alliance in the European Parliament led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the stated aims of fighting illegal immigration and taking powers back from Brussels.

MACRON'S GAMBLE

Macron had called the snap poll in an attempt to wrest the initiative back from Le Pen but his own party was left trailing behind an alliance of leftist parties that performed far better than expected to take first place.

A fragmented parliament is set to weaken France's role in the European Union and further afield, and make it hard for anyone to push through a domestic agenda.

Several early reactions from overseas rejoiced that the immediate threat of a far-right government had been averted.

Nikos Androulakis, the head of Greece's Socialist Pasok party, said the French people had "raised a wall against the far right, racism and intolerance and guarded the timeless principles of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity".

An EU official called it a "huge relief", but added: "what it means for Europe on a day to day basis remains to be seen though". A senior EU diplomat also expressed relief that a lurch towards what they called the extreme right was not seen everywhere.

"Meanwhile, the chance of France's government (and the governments of other countries) clashing with the EU over fiscal policy has increased now that the bloc's budget rules have been re-introduced," it said.