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Paris – AFP
France kicked off a campaign on Monday after President Emmanuel Macron made the shock decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call early elections at the end of June, a major presidential risk that would propel the far right to power and plunge the country into political uncertainty.
Macron sparked a huge surprise by wielding this constitutional weapon, which is rarely used in France, when the far-right National Rally won a landslide victory in the European Parliament elections on Sunday night, taking twice as many votes as the president. The “Renewal” party took 31.36% and 60% respectively.
Macron, who is facing a new crisis and has slipped in the polls, confirmed on Monday via Platform X that “I believe in the ability of the French people to make the choice that is best for them and future generations. My only ambition is to contribute to the country I love.”
Three weeks of campaigning began on Monday, with the first round of legislative elections scheduled for June 30 and a second round on July 7. France is likely to form a new government as Paris prepares to host the Olympics from July 26 to August 11.
IOC President Thomas Bach stressed that the elections “will not interfere with the Paris Olympics.”
The Kremlin announced that it was “closely monitoring” the rise of the far right in France and Europe.
While the left seeks to overcome its divisions, the National Rally has never been so close to power as it is today and it has started its campaign without delay, with its young leader, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, having managed to top his list in the European elections and now a candidate for the post of prime minister if he wins the legislative elections.
On Sunday, Marine Le Pen, who lost to Macron in the second round of the past two major elections, confirmed that the National Rally was “ready to take power”.
A victory for the National Rally in the election would force the presidents and prime ministers of the two opposing camps to “coexist”, something that has happened twice before in the history of the French Fifth Republic.
The president’s camp, which has been deprived of its absolute majority in parliament since Macron’s re-election in 2002, is trying to organize its ranks after the sudden decision to disband. French Foreign Minister and Ennahda leader Stephane Ségorné called for “the mobilization of all republican forces” and said “if the outgoing deputies in the republican camp agree with the project proposed, they can benefit from our support.”
As for Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, he believes that this election “will have the most important consequences in the history of the Fifth Republic.”
The Paris Stock Exchange opened down 2.37% on Monday.
However, analysts say the atmosphere does not seem conducive to a presidential majority, with Céline Braque, director of the Odosa polling institute, stressing that “there is a very strong will among the French to punish the President of the Republic”.
A member of the government said the decision to dissolve the National Assembly was “something the president anticipated was inevitable for everyone”, but the fourth official of the French Republic, the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Brun-Bivé, confirmed that “there is another way”.
On Monday, Macron will continue to attend ceremonies related to the anniversary of World War II, traveling to Toul in the center of the country and Oradour-sur-Glane, the scene of the Nazi Holocaust in 1944. Macron has promised to give a speech this week revealing the “direction” he believes is “right for the country.”
The left camp is likely to witness difficult deliberations among parties to form an alliance in the 2022 legislative elections, but during the European elections it was divided by mutual attacks between the Socialists and the radical left France Pride party, particularly over the Gaza war.
Officials from France Fearless sent a “conference proposal” to the Socialist, Communist and Green parties on Monday afternoon, asking for “clarity and unity in their work,” according to France Fearless coordinator Manuel Bombard.
Awaiting a different stance, the movement came to a halt in the National Assembly, where deputies were discussing a draft law on euthanasia. “The whole plan has been scrapped, it’s a huge shock,” said a parliamentary source. “No one expected such a strong blow.”
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