The announcement comes after exit polls showed his alliance lost to the far-right National Rally (RN) in the EU parliament vote.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will dissolve parliament and call new legislative elections after exit polls showed his alliance suffered a heavy defeat in the European elections against the far-right National Rally (RN) party. by Marine Le Pen.
Macron said Sunday's European Parliament results were bleak for his government and he could not hope to ignore them. In an address to the nation, he said lower house elections would be called for June 30 and a second round on July 7.
“This is an essential moment for clarification,” Macron said. “I have heard your message, your concerns and I will not leave them unanswered… France needs a clear majority to act in serenity and harmony.”
“Far-right parties… are making progress across the continent. It is a situation that I cannot resign myself to,” he stated.
Le Pen's National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, 28, won about 32 percent of the vote, more than double Macron's 15 percent, according to early exit polls. The Socialists were one step behind Macron, with 14 percent.
Le Pen's strong performance, which achieved a 10-point increase from the last European Union election in 2019, will weaken Macron's hold on power three years before the end of his last term. It could also lead to high-level defections from his centrist camp as the succession battle to replace him intensifies.
“We are ready to take power if the French give us their trust in the next national elections,” Le Pen said at a rally shortly after Macron's shock announcement.
Le Pen and Bardella attempted to frame the EU elections as a midterm referendum on Macron's mandate, capitalizing on discontent over immigration, crime and a two-year inflation crisis.
The European elections also mark a critical moment in France, as Macron cannot run again as president in 2027 and Le Pen, the RN figure, believes she has her best chance of winning the Elysee Palace.
Jaques Reland of the Global Policy Institute told Al Jazeera that the situation in France “is a rampant disaster.”
“It's a risky bet,” he said, commenting on Macron's decision.
“The European elections were used for the French to vent… to say that they are not satisfied with issues like immigration and cuts in unemployment benefits,” he said.
“But they recognize one thing about him. [Macron] which at an international level conveys a good image of France and Europe.”
