President Emmanuel Macron has called early parliamentary elections for the end of this month following the clear victory of his rival Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National in the European Parliament elections.
According to polls, the far-right party is expected to win 32 percent of the vote, twice as much as the president’s Renaissance Party.
When he announced the dissolution of parliament, he said the two rounds of voting would take place on June 30 and July 7, a few weeks before the Olympic Games in Paris.
Mr Macron made this dramatic and surprising decision in a televised address from the Élysée Palace, an hour after polls closed and polls were called in France’s EU election.
His decision came shortly after the election of the 28-year-old leader of the National Rally, Jordan Bardellaopenly called on the President to call parliamentary elections.
“I have heard your message,” the president told French voters, “and I will not leave it unanswered.”
“France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony,” he said, adding that he could not accept the advance of the extreme right “everywhere on the continent.”
Macron is only two years old, beginning his second term as president, and already lacks the necessary majority in the French parliament. And although this European vote theoretically has no impact on national politics, he has clearly decided that continuing his term without a new referendum would place too great a burden on the system.
Ms Le Pen, who was twice defeated by Mr Macron in presidential elections, reacted immediately, saying her party was “ready to exercise power, ready to put an end to mass immigration”.
Macron is only two years old, beginning his second term as president, and already lacks the necessary majority in the French parliament. And although this European vote theoretically has no impact on national politics, he has clearly decided that continuing his term without a new referendum would place too great a burden on the system.
Ms Le Pen, who was twice defeated by Mr Macron in presidential elections, reacted immediately, saying her party was “ready to exercise power, ready to put an end to mass immigration”.
The call for new elections is a big surprise for the country and a big risk for President Macron.
He could have reacted differently. He could have simply carried on and explained the overwhelming victory of the far right as a European anomaly that would be corrected in more important elections.
He could have trusted that the upcoming European Football Championship in Germany and, above all, the Olympic Games in Paris would distract people from politics for a few months.
In any case, the Parisian commentators had expected him to accept his party’s defeat in this way.
However, one can only assume that the President saw this coming and planned his response in advance.
Certainly the result was an almost exact reflection of the poll results, so he must have had plenty of time to weigh up his options.
The fact is that he is stuck.
Without a majority, it is already a struggle to get a law through the National Assembly. With the majority of the country now so clearly against it, any new law – for example the upcoming budget – could have experienced an explosive development.
That’s why he has opted for “clarity”. If the Rassemblement National has the necessary votes, then it must be given the chance to govern, he says.
Of course, the president hopes that his own Renaissance Party can fight back in the elections on June 30 and July 7. Or that other parties will do better.
But he must be aware that the chances of another victory for the Rassemblement National are good. Perhaps not as overwhelming as Sunday’s result, but at least enough to make the party the strongest force in parliament.
Then we might have a prime minister named Marine Le Pen or even Jordan Bardella.