President Emmanuel Macron of France, reeling from a significant defeat by the far-right in the European elections, dissolved the lower house of Parliament and announced new legislative elections set to begin on June 30.
The decision underscored the severity of the European Parliament election results for Macron’s centrist party, which is projected to have less than half the support of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. The National Rally is poised to become the leading French party in the European Parliament.
“The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger for our nation and for Europe,” Macron stated. “After this day, I cannot go on as though nothing has happened.”
Aurelien Breeden, a journalist covering France, noted that Macron’s move might be due to his domestic agenda being hindered by a weak majority in the lower house for the past two years. The strong far-right showing likely convinced Macron that continuing with the status quo was no longer viable.
Partial results from the European Parliament elections, conducted across 27 E.U. countries, indicated significant support for centrist candidates, though far-right parties made substantial gains in France and Germany. While centrist groups lost some seats, they are expected to retain a majority in the 720-seat assembly. However, the results have unsettled the mainstream establishment of the bloc and are likely to embolden the far-right as a disruptive force.
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