The snap-elections called by French president Macron, after the rise of Le Pen's Rassemblement National at the EU parliament, took an unprecedented turn on Sunday, July 7th.

With the far-left coming as the surprise winner of the elections with 182 seats, Macron's party coalition secured 153 seats while the Rassemblement National predicted to lead with a majority only ended third with 143 seats. This political climate is a clear shift for France which is heading for a cohabitation and a mix of coalitions; one that puzzles experts. How will France will govern with a far-left and far-right influence?

In this episode of the EPC's newest security and defence podcast 'Language of Power', we discuss the impact of the surprise results of this historic legislative election in France, as well as what it means for Ukraine, the future of European defence and finally, the role of France in the western alliance.

With Garvan Walshe, EPC's head of communications and podcast host, Paul Taylor, a senior visiting fellow for the EPC and Eric Maurice, policy analyst in the European Politics and Institutions programme.

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