French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the dismissal of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament. This happened after the preliminary results of the European Parliament elections in France were released, reports Le Figaro.
Macron delivered his address to the nation after French media announced the results of exit polls in the European Parliament elections. The exit polls predicted a victory for the National Rally party, led by pro-Russian Marine Le Pen.
"I have decided to give you back the choice of your parliamentary future. This is a serious, difficult decision, but above all, it is an act of trust. I have heard your message and I will not leave it unanswered,” the French president said.
The first round of early parliamentary elections will be held on June 30. The second round will be held on July 7.
Why Macron dismissed the National Assembly
Macron made the decision to dissolve the parliament against the backdrop of the crushing defeat of his party, the National Revival, in the European Parliament elections. It won 15.2% of the vote, losing more than twice to the far-right National Rally, which received 31.5% of the vote.
Immediately after the announcement of the preliminary results, far-right leader Jordan Bardella called on Macron to dissolve the parliament in light of the “new political context.” Macron's party has already called the results of the European Parliament elections a “national tragedy.”
Elections to the National Assembly are held under a two-round majority system. As the experience of previous elections shows, under this system, far-right parties receive fewer seats than if they were elected under a proportional representation system. Thus, it is too early to say that Le Pen's party has guaranteed itself first place in the upcoming early elections.
Elections to the European Parliament
On June 6-9, elections to the European Parliament were held across the EU. EU citizens decided who would receive 720 seats in the new convocation of the European Parliament.
In Germany, according to exit polls, the far-right Alternative for Germany is ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party. However, the conservatives from the CDU/CSU are winning hands down.
To find out what the new composition of the European Parliament might look like and what it will mean for the EU, read the RBC-Ukraine article.