After toppling French government, far-right National Rally loses by-election seat

By Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS (Reuters) - Days after orchestrating the downfall of the French government, Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) has lost a seat in a by-election in northeastern France.

RN critics pounced on Sunday's narrow defeat as a sign of voter condemnation of the party's push last week to topple former Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government over his 2025 budget bill.

There was no immediate comment from the RN. The vote in Ardennes left it with 124 lawmakers - a setback, though the RN remains the single largest party in the 577-seat parliament.

In a further blow for the RN, there were signs France's next government may be led by the left, after President Emmanuel Macron on Monday met with leftist leaders as he seeks to quickly name a new prime minister.

In the Ardennes by-election, Lionel Vuibert - running as an independent but with close ties to Macron's centrist coalition - won 50.9% in a run-off in the first voting district, where the far-right has traditionally had strong support. Vuibert had campaigned against the no-confidence motion.

The RN's Jordan Duflot, who got the most votes in the first round and called for the toppling of the government during campaigning for the second round, won 49.1%.

Turnout was low, at around 30%.

Vuibert's "victory ... is a strong signal" against "those who want censorship, inaction and chaos," Xavier Bertrand, a centre-right politician who has been mooted by the press as a possible prime minister, wrote on X.

Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal congratulated Vuibert for his "seriousness and proximity" to voters.

"Attention to the daily lives of the French prevails over the chaos desired by Marine Le Pen and the extremes," Attal wrote on X.

The by-election was called after the RN incumbent resigned for unspecified health reasons.

In a sign of the importance of the seat to the RN, party president Jordan Bardella travelled to the district ahead of the vote to drum up support for Duflot, but it was not enough.

RN party spokesman Philippe Ballard had no immediate comment on the result, and there was no comment from Le Pen or Bardella on their social media accounts.

Le Pen's move to bring down the government with the far left was a risky one, as it threatened to alienate the moderate conservatives she needs to win over for her expected fourth run for the presidency in 2027.

MACRON CONTINUES SEARCH FOR NEW PM

Macron wants to name a government chief quickly, with his most likely path out of the crisis lying with a leftist administration.

Boris Vallaud, the leader of the parliamentary bloc of the Socialist Party, said on Monday his party would not join the government unless Macron names a leftist.

"If it is not a left-wing Prime Minister, we will not participate," he said on France Inter.

The Socialists, a moderate leftist grouping with 66 seats in the National Assembly, voted to topple Barnier on Wednesday last week, but could emerge as crucial kingmakers.

If Macron can win their backing, a new prime minister would likely have the numbers to stave off no-confidence motions from the RN and other parts of the left.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Andrew Heavens)