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Economic turmoil in France breeding stronger opposition in parliament — Russian senator

Sunday’s runoff elections in France left no single party dominant in the parliament

MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/. Social and economic turmoil in France of the past two years has strengthened opposition in parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council upper house of parliament, said on Monday.

"The president’s coalition has lost an absolute majority in parliament, breaking France’s decades-old political tradition, while the opposition has strengthened considerably, which can only be interpreted as the public’s frustration and anger with the two-year economic and social turmoil in Europe," Kosachev said in a post on his Telegram channel.

Things have been deteriorating for years, not months, the senator emphasized, dismissing European "russophobic" politicians’ attempts to lay the blame on Russia. "And France is only the beginning," he added.

Sunday’s runoff elections in France left no single party dominant in the parliament. Initial projections show that President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition Together! may get 210-230 of the National Assembly’s 577 seats, while oppositional New Ecological and Social People’s Union claims 190-190 seats. An absolute majority requires 289 seats.

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