Macron dissolves French parliament after huge election defeat

The move comes after the president’s party was trounced in voting for the EU Parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the country’s National Assembly and called on Sunday for a snap general election, following the release of polls predicting a disastrous performance by his Renaissance party in the European parliament election. Macon’s allies look certain to be roundly trounced by the right-wing National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen.

Explaining his decision, the president said he could not act as if “nothing happened,” admitting that the projected election result did not bode well for his government. Macron also warned about the apparent rise of nationalist forces, calling it a danger both to France and the EU as a whole.

According to exit polls and early projections, National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, took around a third of the vote. At the same time, Macron’s alliance scored only around 15% of votes.

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