Macron Dissolves Parliament After Defeat In EU Vote

June 9, 2024 European Union

Politico Europe reports:

French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament on Sunday, following his party’s crushing defeat at the hands of the far-right National Rally in the European election. The first round of the election will take place on June 30. The second will be on July 7.

“France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony. To be French, at heart, it is about choosing to write history, not be driven by it,” Macron said.

The decision to dissolve the National Assembly was met with disbelief by his supporters, with several people screaming “Oh no” as he spoke. Supporters of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party celebrated as Macron announced the dissolution, leading to new parliamentary elections.

Reuters reports:

Macron said the results were a disaster for his government, and one he could not pretend to ignore. Macron’s widely unexpected decision could leave him in a nearly powerless position if Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party wins a parliamentary majority.

Led by telegenic 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, the RN won around 32% of the vote in Sunday’s vote, more than double Macron ticket’s 15%, according to the first exit polls. The Socialists came within a whisker of Macron, with 14%.

The New York Times reports:

“The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger for our nation and for Europe,” Mr. Macron said. “After this day I cannot go on as though nothing has happened.”

The French leader has always been a passionate supporter of the 27-nation European Union, seeing in it the sole means for Europe to count in the world and calling on it to achieve “strategic autonomy” through ever greater integration. But the political winds have turned in favor of less Europe, not more.

Mr. Macron’s decision, on the eve of the summer Olympic Games that begin in Paris in July, ushered in a period of deep political uncertainty in France. If the National Rally repeats its performance in national elections, the country could become nearly ungovernable, with Mr. Macron confronting a Parliament hostile to everything he believes in.

As you can see below, the far-right is celebrating in its usual fashion on social media. I’ll spare you more examples.

As for National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, in 2021 he appeared here when Facebook restricted his account for posting support for a now-banned French white supremacist group.

Bardella also opposed same-sex marriage before its legalization, but has since effectively said that the vote was the “will of the people.”

In 2018, National Rally changed its name from National Front in an attempt to shed its association with its former leader, the father of Marine Le Pen, who was convicted multiple times for inciting racial hatred.



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