Yeael Braun-Pivet Wins Tight Race for Second Term as National Assembly Speaker

Centrist politician Yeael Braun-Pivet, a loyal ally of President Emmanuel Macron, has been re-elected as the speaker of France's National Assembly. Braun-Pivet secured 220 ballots in a close contest against veteran communist lawmaker Andre Chassaigne, who received 207 votes. The assembly session followed an inconclusive election, marking a fragmented political landscape.

Yeael Braun-Pivet, a centrist politician and close associate of President Emmanuel Macron, has been re-elected as the speaker of France's National Assembly. She secured 220 ballots in a narrow victory over veteran communist lawmaker Andre Chassaigne, who garnered 207 votes. The race was so tight it required three rounds of voting.

The re-election of Braun-Pivet comes as the lower house convenes for the first time since this month's inconclusive election. The election saw the leftwing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance come first, ahead of Macron's centrists and Marine Le Pen's far-right faction, yet no party was able to secure a majority.

This fragmented result sets the stage for a complicated parliamentary term with no single group in control, highlighting the volatile nature of French politics in the current climate.

(With inputs from agencies.)