A snap election called by French President Emmanuel Macron after a bruising loss to the far-right in European Parliament elections would be the most consequential legislative vote in the republic’s history, the nation’s finance minister says. Macron’s shock decision amounts to a roll of the dice on his political future. It could hand a great deal of power to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally after years on the sidelines, and neuter his presidency three years before it is due to end.
Analysts said Macron’s decision aimed to make the best of his weak position, reclaiming the initiative and forcing RN into election mode faster than it would have liked. Some RN leaders appeared to have been caught off-guard. “We didn’t think it would be immediately after the European elections, even if we wanted it to be,” RN deputy chairman Sebastien Chenu said on RTL Radio. “Elections are rarely a gift and in this context, they aren’t.