President Emmanuel Macron of France has announced the dissolution of the country's National Assembly and has called for a general election between 30 June and 7 July. The surprise decision follows historic gains for the far-right National Rally (RN) in the European elections.
In an unplanned television address on Sunday, Macron acknowledged a "poor result for political groups that defend Europe". A staunch supporter of the EU, he recognised substantial gains made by the far-right and said that their rise in recent years runs counter to the progress of the Union.
Preliminary results of the European elections in France show that RN received 31.5% of the vote – more than twice as much as the President's Renaissance party, which came second with 15.2%. Voter turnout was 51.4%.
The President stated that the results of the European elections in France were impossible to ignore and described a "fever" which has gripped public and parliamentary debate in France. "I have therefore decided to give [the people of France] the choice to decide our parliamentary future through a vote."
The first round of the snap general election will be held on 30 June, with the second round on 7 July. Macron lamented the rise of "nationalists and demagogues", which he described as "a danger for our nation as well as for Europe."
The President expressed his "confidence in our democracy, in which the word of the people is sovereign... I have heard your message and your concerns. I will not let them go unanswered."
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Commenting on the President's decision, Eric Ciotti called it "the only solution". The leader of Les Républicans (LR), which came fifth on Sunday with around 7% of the votes, was deeply critical of Macron and said that LR would "absolutely not form a coalition, co-operate, or collaborate with this power that has so greatly damaged France".
The tough stance was echoed by LR's lead candidate in the European elections, François-Xavier Bellamy. He expressed his frustration with Macron and said that France must regain a sense of clarity: "Enough of the confusion, the defections, the denials, the constant contradictions."
Meanwhile, the founder of the left-wing group La France Insoumise (LFI) Jean-Luc Mélenchon also welcomed the President's decision to dissolve the National Assembly, arguing that Macron no longer had the legitimacy to continue his current political and social programme, which he says has perpetuated widespread social inequality.
Speaking at LFI's election night event in Paris, he said that LFI is "not afraid of voters", despite the party's poor results in the European elections (10.1% of the vote). A persistently vocal opponent of Macron, the LFI appealed to younger French voters, those in working-class neighbourhoods, and all those who have suffered the social injustices under the current government.
But the LFI has failed to gain substantial momentum in a political landscape increasingly dominated by right-wing political movements. Mélenchon blamed their election failures on other left-leaning groups, which he argues have not supported the Nupes electoral alliance, led by LFI.
