Marine Le Pen of France’s far-right National Rally has expressed optimism despite her party losing out in the second round of high-stakes parliamentary elections, which saw the new left-wing alliance pull off a surprise win, according to initial projections. “The tide continues to rise and our victory today has only been delayed,” Le Pen said after first projections based on early vote counts put the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) in first place. She and her party were gaining ground against a coalition of all movements, Le Pen said. The National Rally won a first round of voting on June 30…