French President Emmanuel Macron lost control of the National Assembly in legislative elections on Sunday, a major setback that could throw the country into political paralysis unless he is able to negotiate alliances with other parties.

Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition, which wants to raise the retirement age and further deepen EU integration, was set to end up with the most seats in Sunday’s election. But that was well short of the absolute majority needed to control parliament, initial projections and first results showed.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called the outcome a “democratic shock” and added that if other blocs did not