Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), tells supporters he is "so immensely relieved" as exit polls indicate a lead for his left-wing New Popular Front alliance.

Many had expected the far-right National Rally (RN) to win a majority of seats in parliament, after a strong performance in the election's first round last week.

Mélenchon went on to thank the French people for their "obstinate patience".

Mark Lowen
Reporting from Paris

Image source, EPA

“We’re sad, disappointed, struck down by this result” said Rosa, a National Rally supporter as she clung to a French flag in one hand and a dwindling glass of champagne in the other.

“We’re victims of a dishonest alliance led by Macron to stop us from power”.

She was drowning her sorrows at the party headquarters, where there was stunned silence as the projections came through that showed the Rally had fallen far short of expectations, comprehensively beaten into third place.

There were cheers for Jordan Bardella – the party’s president – who told his supporters that victory would, sooner or later, be theirs. And Marine Le Pen was greeted with whoops of “Marine, Présidente”.

But the headquarters soon began to empty out – and once again, the majority of the French have looked at the possibility of a National Rally government and said “non”.

“We have to see the positives: we have many more MPs now”, said Matteo Giammarresi, another party supporter, who was trying to put a positive spin on things.

“We must continue to build our support. And 2027 – the next presidential election – will be ours.”

Image source, Getty Images

We're looking at live pictures now from Place de la République in Paris, where thousands of people have been gathering.

The atmosphere appears peaceful and jubilant although dozens of riot police, including a water canon truck, are monitoring things from the side.

In the square, crowds are waving flags, chanting and letting off flares. One person is juggling fire sticks.

Henri Astier
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing alliance formed at the last minute to fight the election, appears to have won the most seats. But it does not have an absolute majority.

This means it's still not clear who will run France.

Much will depend on the balance of power within the NFP. Its constituent groups range from social democrats to hardcore anti-capitalists. Some moderate socialists could be tempted to peel off and join Macron's group to form a centre-left government.

If no working majority can be cobbled together, then President Macron can ask the largest party to lead a minority government. Alternatively, he could appoint a technocratic government but it is unlikely to survive for long.

Instability could ensue, especially as the president cannot call a fresh parliamentary election for another year.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has spoken at his official residence, Hôtel de Matignon in Paris.

He says that "tonight, none of the extremes can claim a majority" and for this he credits the "French spirit".

He also stresses that many members of President Macron's Ensemble alliance have been re-elected.

"Being PM is the honour of my life," he adds.

"Tonight, although Ensemble has won three times the number of seats than had been predicted, we don't have a majority, he says. "And so, tomorrow morning, I will hand in my resignation to the President of the Republic."

He adds, however, that he will stay on "as long as my duty requires".

Marine Le Pen, who co-leads the National Rally with Jordan Bardella, has just spoken to reporters.

She is defiant, saying her party's "victory has only been delayed", and she "sees the seeds of tomorrow's victory in today's result".

Le Pen, who has run unsuccessfully for presidency three times, also said that President Macron's situation is untenable.

"Marine! Marine! Marine!" her supporters chanted, as she left the room.

Ido Vock
Reporting from Bordeaux

At a vote count here in a suburb of Bordeaux, the seemingly winning New Popular Front (NFP) candidate, Sébastien Saint-Pasteur, is being congratulated by overjoyed activists.

They can scarcely believe it - everyone expected the National Rally to come first.

Saint-Pasteur, who unseated a candidate from Emmanuel Macron's party, told me it's a "huge relief" that the NFP seems to have come first.

President Emmanuel Macron is currently analysing the latest election results and will wait for the full picture to emerge in parliament before taking the necessary next decisions, the French Presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

"The president, as guarantor of our institutions, will respect the choice of French people," it added.

We are also told that President Macron is not expected to speak tonight, but his Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is. When he does, we'll bring you the latest lines here.

Image source, Reuters

This evening, Jean-Luc Mélenchon claimed victory for his alliance as many polls showed the New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats - although it fell short of an absolute majority.

He said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal should resign and stated the NFP is ready to govern France.

But who are the New Popular Front?

They are an alliance of Socialists, Ecologists, Communists and France Unbowed (LFI) formed after President Macron called a snap parliamentary election on 9 June.

These parties have previously criticised one another and have some key differences in their ideology and approach. But they decided to form a bloc to keep the far right out of government.

The NFP has promised to scrap the pension and immigration reforms passed by the current government, to set up a rescue agency for undocumented migrants and to facilitate visa applications.

It also wants to put caps on basic goods to combat the cost of living crisis and raise the minimum wage.

Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris

There was rejoicing at eight o’clock in the left-wing camp when the projections were published.

Against every expectation the National Rally had fallen from a clear first place in round one a week ago, to third place in round two.

It now looks set to secure - at most - 150 seats in the Assembly, some way behind the New Popular Front on the left and supporters of President Macron in the centre.

It seems the calls from all the other parties to block the far-right’s coming to government have worked very effectively: Jordan Bardella will not be the next French prime minister.

Who will be is another matter.

The fact is that none of the three big blocs has an outright majority in the Assembly.

What beckons therefore is a period of haggling over an eventual coalition forming around a programme still undefined.

The left – flush from their strong performance – will expect a very strong voice.

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Paris

There was absolute jubilation on Place de la République in Paris as the results came in, and now there is music and chanting.

Each time Jean-Luc Mélenchon appears either on the screen or from the nearby balcony, there are cheers.

Each time Jordan Bardella’s name is mentioned by the broadcast on the screen, there is booing.

Not everyone here supports La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left party that has organised this gathering of the New Popular Front.

One woman here told me she was fed socialism from the bottle at birth, and that Mélenchon was a candidate she would have never supported before this.

These are not happy partners at this gathering but, right now, this feels like a victory for them.

The BBC's Mark Lowen is at the National Rally's headquarters and describes the moment the projections showed the party had failed to win a majority:

National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella, who was hoping to be France's next prime minister, has been speaking to his supporters.

He criticises the "unnatural" and "dishonourable alliance" that has "deprived the French people" of a RN victory: "Tonight, these alliances throw France into the arms of the far left of Jean-Luc Mélenchon."

He notes that RN came first in the European elections, in the first round of the parliamentary election and has now doubled its number of MPs.

"These are the cornerstones of tomorrow's victory," he says.

He adds that President Macron has pushed the country towards "uncertainty and instability".

"Everyone understands today that the arrangements orchestrated by the Élysée.. won't go anywhere," Bardella says.

He says he understands the "frustration" of French people, but adds: "For months now a wind of hope has picked up and it will never stop blowing."

"It all begins tonight," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Socialist leader Olivier Faure has just spoken.

"France has said no to giving power to the [far-right] National Rally," he said. "This is a victory for the New Popular Front (NFP)" - the alliance between left-wing forces.

He said the NFP would be the largest bloc in parliament and should be allowed to form a government.

At Jordan Bardella's event, there is disappointment as his National Rally party failed to get the votes it hoped to win to form a government.

The 28-year-old had hoped to be France's next prime minister.

All the opinion polls appear to have got it wrong.

The major TV channels all project victory for the left-wing alliance and not the National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.

This is the projected result from France's state TV:

Image source, .

Henri Astier
Live reporter

If the exit polls and projections are correct, the National Rally (RN) has not performed nearly as well as its leaders - and many observers - had expected.

The left-wing and centrist blocs had prioritised blocking the RN, and that strategy appears to have worked. Having said that, the RN has greatly increased its representation in parliament: the estimated results are only a setback compared with the landslide many were anticipating.

And the number of seats held my President Macron's supporters has been slashed.

It looks as though the main winners of the night could be the left.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the radical left France Unbowed party, the largest in the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP), has been addressing his supporters, claiming victory for his bloc.

He says: "The far right is far from a majority tonight... The election result is the outcome of a magnificent mobilisation effort."

"The president has to bow and admit this is a defeat... the prime minister needs to leave," he says.

The president has the power and the duty to call the NFP to govern," he adds to applause.

"The NFP is ready," he adds.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Paris

Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, the two big faces of the National Rally, were hoping for a dramatic and historic victory.

The projections we've just had from the big French broadcasters all suggests not only that their hopes have been dashed.

They all indicate that the left-wing New Popular Front, cobbled together hastily after President Macron called this election, may actually have won the race.

It wouldn't mean they could form any kind of government, because a hung parliament would be the result.

But if the radical-left France Unbowed and their allies in the Greens, Socialists and Communists really have won, it's a big dent in the expectations of the far right.