French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to dissolve parliament and announced new elections in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, following his party’s defeat in the EU elections on Sunday.
The challenges France faced required clarity and its people deserved respect, he said. “At the end of this day, therefore, I cannot pretend that nothing happened,” he added.
“The decision is serious and difficult, but above all it is an act of trust, trust in you, my dear compatriots,” the president added.
According to broadcasters’ projections after the elections ended, France’s far-right National Rally will defeat Macron’s Renaissance by a wide margin in the European Parliament elections.
The National Rally, headlined by Marine Le Pen, received 31.5 to 32.3% of the vote, while Macron’s pro-European camp received only around 15.2 to 15.4%, broadcasters France 2 reported and TF1 on Sunday after the polls closed.
Sunday’s vote also sets the stage for the 2027 presidential election.
