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By SYLVIE CORBET and BARBARA SURK Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron, who called a snap parliamentary election after his party’s disastrous defeat in European Parliament elections, insisted Wednesday that voters would ultimately choose a “progressive alliance” over the far right.
In France, legislative elections determine the makeup of parliament, not the president’s occupant of the Elysee Palace. Macron is set to serve until 2027 and has said he will not resign before the end of his term.
The somber French leader said his move to hold early elections – voting will be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7 – showed he had “full confidence” in the French people. He urged moderate politicians on the left and right to regroup with his own centrist alliance to defeat the far right.
“I think the French are smart, they know what is being done, what is coherent, what is incoherent, they know how to act,” Macron said. He added: “I don’t believe the worst will happen at all. You see, I am an indefatigable optimist.”
The 46-year-old politician addressed French voters in his first press conference since his shock decision on Sunday Dissolution of ParliamentThe French lower house of parliament elections came to an end after the far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen won the European Parliament elections.
Macron sought to allay concerns that the risky move could lead to France’s first far-right-dominated government since World War II.
Crowds have gathered in Paris and across the country every day since Sunday evening to protest against the National Rally.
Macron, convinced that voters will not choose the extremes at either end of the political spectrum, pledged not to fall into defeatism and said he would serve out his second term as president regardless of the outcome of the legislative vote.
Macron said his decision was to “allow the political forces chosen by the French to govern”. He added that it was “embarrassing to think that the far right or political extremists have to govern. Otherwise, the spirit of defeat has spread everywhere.”
“If that’s what people are worried about, now is the time to act,” he said.
Macron defended his decision by saying he could not ignore new political realities as his pro-European party suffered a crushing defeat and had less than half the support of the National Rally. Star Leader Jordan Badella.
In a departure from Macron’s recent national addresses, which focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and how Europe should develop a common defense policy independent of the United States and strengthen trade protections against China, the French president stuck to domestic issues favored by the right, including curbing immigration, fighting crime and Islamic separatism in France.
Macron, who is in his second and final term, has expressed hope that voters can unite to somehow curb the far right in a national election. No in EuropeHe called on “all people of good will who dare to say ‘no’ to left-wing and right-wing extremists to unite and build a common project for the country.”
“Today the situation is simple: we have an unnatural alliance between two extremes, they don’t agree on anything other than the work they want to share, and they are unable to implement any plan,” Macron said.
While Macron appears to be projecting the same enthusiasm that helped elect him president in 2017, analysts say French voters are more pessimistic about their future and see him as increasingly out of touch with real life and wallet issues.
The French president acknowledged that his pro-business centrist party had made some mistakes, while harshly criticizing some conservatives for deciding to work with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which has a history of racism and xenophobia. He slammed the coalition of left-wing parties as “unusual and incoherent” because they included the far-left France Indomitable party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who Macron said “defended anti-Semitic policies” after the Israel-Hamas war.
“We are not perfect, we don’t do everything right, but we have results… and most importantly, we know how to act,” Macron said of his Ennahda party, adding that “the far right is the main danger” in the upcoming elections.
“The question is who will rule the country tomorrow?” he asked. “The extreme right and a few cohorts, or the democratic progressives? That is the fundamental question.”
Potential coalitions and the two-round voting system of France’s national elections make the outcome of the vote highly uncertain.
Left and right opposition parties Has been working hard to build a coalition and launch a candidate Early legislative voting.
While sharp divisions remain between parties at both ends of the political spectrum, prominent figures calling for a united front appear to have one thing in common: they do not want to work with Macron.
Despite their differences, left-wing parties agreed late Monday to form a coalition that includes the Greens, the Socialists, the Communist Party and the far-left France Indomitable.
Le Pen is working to consolidate power on the right, trying to turn a European victory into a national win and move closer to taking power. Her party is expected to win the most French seats in the European Parliament, possibly 30 of France’s 81 seats.
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