French President Emanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday, as his centrist party suffered a crushing defeat to far-right opponents in European Union elections.
“I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote,” Macron said in a speech from the Élysée presidential palace. “I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly.”
Far-right candidates have been slowly and steadily gaining influence across Europe for the past two decades, and the latest European Union elections represented one of their biggest victories yet.
In France, the far-right candidate for EU parliament won 31.5% of the vote, according to exit polls. The candidate representing Macron’s centrist party earned less than half that.
“France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony,” Macron said. “To be French, at heart, is about choosing to write history, not being driven by it.”
The far-right National Rally party celebrated the dissolution, which they had called for after the results were announced. Far-right groups are now projected to control at least 130 of the 720 seats in the European Parliament, according to Agence France-Presse.
“I can only welcome this decision, which is in line with the logic and architecture of the Fifth Republic,” said Marine Le Pen, longtime leader of the French far-right.
Macron said the snap elections will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7. Macron, 46, is the sixth-longest serving president in French history, having held the office since May 2017. His position will not be in danger, as he won a second five-year term by defeating Le Pen in 2022.
With News Wire Services
