President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move (REM) and its ally, the Modem, won an outright majority, taking a total of 350 seats in the 577-member National Assembly. The REM, established only in 2016, defeated two long-established parties that had dominated French politics: The Republicans (LR, formerly, the Union for a Popular Movement) took 112 seats, down from 194; the Socialist Party (PS) of former President François Hollande took only 30, down from 280. A record 224 women were elected (up from 155 recorded in 2012), of whom 143 were from REM which endorsed slightly more female candidates than male candidates. Half of REM's candidates were from civil society. During the election campaign, the major parties focused on job creation, tax reforms and anti-terrorism measures. The 2017 parliamentary elections followed the presidential elections. In the run-off elections held in May, Mr. Macron (REM), former Minister of Economy and Finance under President Hollande (PS), defeated Ms. Marine Le Pen of the National Front (FN). President Macron subsequently appointed Mr. Edouard Philippe (LR) as his Prime Minister. The new government includes former members of the PS and the LR, members from the civil society, and has an equal number of men and women. President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move (REM) and its ally, the Modem, won an outright majority, taking a total of 350 seats in the 577-member National Assembly. The REM, established only in 2016, defeated two long-established parties that had dominated French politics: The Republicans (LR, formerly, the Union for a Popular Movement) took 112 seats, down from 194; the Socialist Party (PS) of the former President François Hollande took only 30, down from 280. A record 224 women were elected (up from 155 recorded in 2012), of whom 143 were from REM which endorsed slightly more female candidates than male candidates. Half of REM's candidates were from civil society. During the election campaign, the major parties focused on job creation, tax reforms and anti-terrorism measures. The 2017 parliamentary elections followed the presidential elections. In the run-off elections held in May, Mr. Macron (REM), former Minister of Economy and Finance under President Hollande (PS), defeated Ms. Marine Le Pen of the National Front (FN). President Macron subsequently appointed Mr. Edouard Philippe (LR) as his Prime Minister. The new government includes former members of the PS and the LR, members from the civil society, and has an equal number of men and women.