Macron calls legislative elections after the overwhelming victory of the extreme right in the European elections

Order of Emmanuel Macron. An hour after the closing of the polling stations that gave the French far-right a historic and overwhelming victory in the European elections, he announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and the call for general elections. Marine le Pen responded immediately: “We are prepared to lead the country.”

In a televised speech from the Elysée, unexpected and unusual, the President of the Republic chose to dramatize to the maximum the triumph of the National Reunion (RN) listthe match of Marine Le Pen: “The growth of nationalists, demagogues are a danger for our nation but also for our Europe (…) Therefore, after the consultations provided for in article 12 of our Constitution, I have decided to once again give them the choice of our future parliamentarian for the vote. I therefore dissolve the National Assembly tonight.”

The French will elect their 570 deputies in a uninominal and majority vote in two rounds to celebrate the June 30 and July 7. That is, they will return to the polls in three weeks. In the midst of the Euro Cup and less than a month before the opening of the Paris Olympic Games, on July 26.

Macron, who came to power in 2017 by defeating Marine Le Pen in the second round (66% to 34%) and was re-elected in 2022 (58.5%), opted on Sunday night for play it all on one card: either he manages to turn the situation around or he will have to spend the remaining three years of his mandate cohabiting with a far-right prime minister, probably the same Jordan Bardella who led the winning list of the European elections. The president of the RN He is 28 years old and has had a brilliant career. within the party founded by Jean Marine Le Pen, father of the current leader, Marine.

She has spent years sweetening her image and polishing the edges of her party. After the victories in the Europeans on Sunday, it is more than likely that continue your dediabolization campaign in Europe, integrating its MEPs into the same group as those of Meloni, its rival until now. All in order not to spoil his chances for the 2027 presidential elections. It is worth knowing that in all the surveys published this year, Marine Le Pen wins the first round with percentages greater than 30% of the votes. And that in all the second round options she is considered the winner against any candidate.

In 2027, Macron cannot run again so his maneuver on Sunday night can be perceived as a desperate attempt to deliver a definitive defeat at the polls to the extreme right. The move is not without risks. Last night, Valerie Pecressea right-wing candidate in the last presidential elections, accused him of “playing Russian roulette.”

This Sunday’s results speak clearly of the riskiness of Macron’s decision. He RN obtained 30 seats (+12) with 31.5% of the votes cast. He doubled the votes of the list of Macron supporters, Renacimiento, which remained at 13 seatsthe same ones who won the candidacy of the Scoialista Party headed by Raphaël Glucksmann, which has doubled its harvest of minutes from five years ago.

Behind them, La Francia Insumisa (extreme left) with 9 seats (+4) and 10% of the votes, The Republicans (PPE) with 6 minutes (-1), the environmentalists 5 deputies (-5) and the list of the other far-right formation led by the Marine Le Pen’s niece, Marion Maréchal. These two formations barely surpassed the 5% bar below which no MEPs are obtained in France.

With these data it is clear that Macron risks a lot. President He will speak to the nation again before traveling to the G7 summit on Thursday. On Sunday night he met the government headed by the young Gabriel Attal at the Elysée. His move is as follows. All deputies who are loyal to him will attend under a single flag presidential maypia instead of the current Renaissance groups and their coalition parties Horizons (led by former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe) or Modem (by the veteran centrist, François Bayrou).

In this presidential majority All the deputies of the republican arc may also join, which includes socialists and republicans (related to the PPE). The extremists are excluded, that is, the supporters of Le Pen and the rebels of Jean Luc Mélenchon.

Macron, in fact, launched a takeover bid on the classic right and on the socialists, the two pillar parties of the V Republic (until Macron arrived) and they risk their necks: either they go with Macron or they have it raw, caught in a pinch between the political machinery of power and the force of Le Pen. There is a match.