The National Council of the French Socialist Party ratified a coalition deal with three other left-wing parties early Friday to run as a united front in June’s parliamentary elections. A large majority of the council’s members voted in favour, but only after hours of sometimes tense debate.
Talks over the proposal lasted four hours, with some major party figures condemning the alliance with the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), the French greens (EELV) and the Communist Party (PCF) for the parliamentary elections on 12 and 19 June.