In a shock move, French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said he would dissolve parliament and call new legislative elections later this month after he was trounced in European elections by Marine Le Pen's far-right party.
French President Emmanuel Macron(REUTERS)ALSO READ- France's First Lady Brigitte Macron faces awkward faux pas as she tries to hold Queen Camilla's hand at D-Day memorialMacron said the results were a disaster for his government, and one he could not pretend to ignore.
In a high-risk political gamble, less than two months before Paris hosts the Olympics, he said lower house elections would be called for June 30, with a second-round vote on July 7.
ALSO READ- Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin 'not going to stop at Ukraine' in joint presser with MacronMacron's widely unexpected decision could leave him in a nearly powerless position if Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party wins a parliamentary majority.
The Socialists came within a whisker of Macron, with 14%.
In a shock move, French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said he would dissolve parliament and call new legislative elections later this month after he was trounced in European elections by Marine Le Pen's far-right party. French President Emmanuel Macron(REUTERS)
ALSO READ- France's First Lady Brigitte Macron faces awkward faux pas as she tries to hold Queen Camilla's hand at D-Day memorial
Macron said the results were a disaster for his government, and one he could not pretend to ignore. In a high-risk political gamble, less than two months before Paris hosts the Olympics, he said lower house elections would be called for June 30, with a second-round vote on July 7.
ALSO READ- Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin 'not going to stop at Ukraine' in joint presser with Macron
Macron's widely unexpected decision could leave him in a nearly powerless position if Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party wins a parliamentary majority.
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Led by telegenic 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, the RN won around 32% of the vote in Sunday's vote, more than double Macron ticket's 15%, according to the first exit polls. The Socialists came within a whisker of Macron, with 14%.
