French police dispersed election night crowds in Paris and Nantes with tear gas on Sunday evening, even though gatherings were largely peaceful across the country, writes The Independent.

“In the capital’s Place de la Republique, people had been chanting and marching with flairs but dispersed rapidly when riot police launched tear gas canisters at the edges of the gathering.

The same approached was used in the western city of Nantes, a flashpoint for left-wing activism, where police fired tear gas at demonstrators.

A left-wing alliance has become the biggest force in France’s parliament after tactical voting brought a shock win over the far-right National Rally”.

The outcome of the legislative elections, called by President Emmanuel Macron three years ahead of schedule in a bid to reshape the political landscape, saw no group winning an absolute majority.

This leaves France without any clear path to forming a new government three weeks before the Paris Olympics. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to submit his resignation to Macron on Monday but has also made clear he is ready to stay on in a caretaker capacity as weeks of political uncertainty loom.