A centrist or a communist? France's new lawmakers to pick a speaker as political turmoil persists

France’s influential lower house of parliament the National Assembly is holding its opening session to elect a speaker after a chaotic early election produced a hung legislature. Two figures emerged as favorites after two nonconclusive rounds of vote. They are outgoing Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet of Macron’s centrist party and the candidate of the leftist coalition communist lawmaker André Chassaigne. The election earlier this month resulted in a split among three major political blocs. They are the New Popular Front leftist coalition, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist allies and the far-right National Rally party. None of them won an outright majority.