Following his centrist alliance’s crushing defeat in European Union (EU) polls by the far-right, French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Sunday that he was dissolving parliament and calling early legislative elections.
In a speech to the country, Macron declared that the lower house National Assembly elections will have two rounds: a first round on June 30 and a second round on July 7.
He admitted that the results of the EU elections are “not a good result for parties who defend Europe.” Macron pointed out that far-right parties in France managed to secure nearly 40% of the vote in the EU elections, with the highest-scoring National Rally (RN) among them.
“Far right parties… are progressing everywhere in the continent. It is a situation to which I cannot resign myself. I decided to give you the choice… Therefore I will dissolve the National Assembly tonight. This decision is serious and heavy but it is an act of confidence. Confidence in you, dear compatriots, and in the capacity of the French people to make the best choice for itself and future generations,” he said.
According to estimates from multiple polling firms, the RN’s list, led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, garnered between 32.3 and 33 percent of the vote, while Macron’s coalition led by his Renaissance party, received between 14.8 and 15.2 percent.
Following this week’s elections, Macron cautioned on Thursday that the EU could be “blocked” by a significant far-right presence in the European Parliament.
The results of the election also signal a turning point, with attention focused on the 2027 French presidential election, in which Macron is unable to run again and RN leader Marine Le Pen believes she has the best opportunity ever to occupy the Elysee Palace.
EU Election
The outcome of the referendum dealt a political blow to the leaders of Germany and France, raising concerns about how the big powers of the European Union may influence bloc policy, even if the center, liberal, and socialist parties were expected to maintain a majority in the 720-seat parliament.
Similar to Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also had a traumatic evening as his Social Democrats recorded their lowest-ever result, falling prey to the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and mainstream conservatives.
Meanwhile, exit polls indicated that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s position was reinforced by the fact that her very conservative Brothers of Italy group received the most votes.
