Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
France’s Emmanuel Macron appeared on television last night to call snap parliamentary elections – reportedly prompting screams of “oh no” from his supporters. The announcement followed yesterday’s EU elections in which Macron’s alliance was crushed by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) movement. Le Pen and her popular protégé, Jordan Bardella, secured about 32 per cent of the vote, more than double the share for Macron’s centrist group. The first round of French elections will be held on 30 June, with a second round on 7 July – just ahead of the Paris Olympics. “I have decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future,” Macron said. His gamble seems to be that RN support in EU elections will not translate into victory in the French parliament. But he risks being forced to appoint a prime minister from another party – and to work with an even more gridlocked parliament – for his remaining three years as president. Germany’s far-right AfD also made gains in the EU vote, although a broader far-right takeover of Europe’s parliament didn’t seem to have materialised. But still, Bardella, 28, could be France’s next prime minister.