French President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the country’s National Assembly and called for snap legislative elections after suffering a major defeat in the European Parliament election. Macron confirmed the news in a video message to the nation on Sunday, stating that he was giving voters the choice of their parliamentary future through a vote.
The move came shortly after projected results from France put the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election. Many experts believe that calling a snap election attracts a massive political risk for Macron since his party could suffer more losses, which also has the potential to scar his presidential term which is scheduled to end in 2027.
During his address, Macron acknowledged the party’s defeat in the EU parliamentary elections. “I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” he said, adding that calling a snap election only underscored his democratic credentials.
According to Article 12 of the French constitution, the president of the country has the power to dissolve the assemblée nationale to resolve any sort of “political crisis”. The crisis would also include “permanent and irreconcilable differences” between the legislative and the executive wing of the parliament. As per the constitution, if a president calls for a snap election, voters must be called to the polls 20 to 40 days after the assembly is dissolved. In the Sunday announcement, Macron said that the first round of these elections is scheduled for 30 June and the second on 7 July.
Macron is not the first president of the country to dissolve the parliament. The country’s National Assembly was dissolved in 1962, 1968, 1981 and 1988. However, it is important to note that no French president has dissolved parliament since 1997. One of the major reasons behind it was the fact that the presidential and parliamentary terms were synchronised in 2000. Voters since then gave each incoming president a parliamentary majority – until Macron was re-elected.
