A report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine The reordering of affairs between Macron and the left has ended, the election silence has begun, and France is set for a fiercely contested second round of elections on Sunday, July 7. The heat of the July summer is matched by the heated battle between the far-right National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, which topped the results of the first round of elections, and the left-wing parties under the New Popular Union alliance, along with the center-right party led by Macron. The latest opinion polls before the election silence suggested that France might be left without a clear majority, with the far-right National Rally party expected to struggle to achieve an absolute majority. It is projected to win between 210 and 240 seats in parliament, while the absolute majority requires 289 seats. The polls also predicted that the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Union, would win between 170 and 200 seats, while Macron's centrist party would secure between 95 and 125 seats. Amid the ongoing political tussle, what are the potential scenarios if no party secures an absolute majority? Winning parties might resort to forming alliances to create a majority bloc. For example, Macron's party might seek alliances with other moderate or leftist parties, excluding the hard-left France Unbowed party. If coalition talks fail, the largest party or alliance might attempt to govern as a minority government. However, this scenario is challenging as the government would need to negotiate support for each piece of legislation individually, leading to a legislative gridlock. The failure to form a stable government could result in political deadlock, stalling important legislation and hindering effective governance, which might necessitate further negotiations or changes in party alliances to break the impasse.