PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday announced he was dissolving parliament and called snap legislative elections after the far-right trounced his centrist alliance in EU polls.
The first round of elections for the lower house National Assembly will take place on June 30, with the second round on July 7, Macron announced in an address to the nation.
The outcome of the EU elections, he acknowledged, is “not a good result for parties who defend Europe”.
Macron noted that far-right parties in France — including the top scoring National Rally (RN) — had managed to take almost 40 percent of the vote in the EU elections in France.
“Far right parties... are progressing everywhere in the continent,” he said. “It is a situation to which I cannot resign myself.”
He accused the far right of representing “the impoverishment” and “downgrading” of France.
“So, at the end of this day, I cannot act as if nothing had happened,” Macron added. “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.” The RN’s list, led by Jordan Bardella, 28, gained between 32.3 and 33 percent of the vote compared with 14.8 to 15.2 percent for Macron’s alliance led by his Renaissance party, according to projections from several polling firms.
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