In a dramatic turn of events, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a snap parliamentary election following a significant defeat by the far-right in the European elections.
This surprise decision came after Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party outperformed Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, which garnered only half of National Rally’s more than 30% vote share according to exit polls.
France’s election results highlighted the anticipated gains for Europe’s far-right factions. However, the larger narrative of the four-day European vote underscored the strengthened position of the center-right parties. These parties bolstered their majority in the European Parliament, achieving notable victories in countries such as Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain, and even making headway in Hungary against the dominant Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission and a prominent figure in the center-right bloc, acknowledged the mixed outcomes. “The center is holding, but it is also true that the extremes on the left and the right have gained support,” she remarked. She emphasized that her center-right group serves as an “anchor of stability,” which now bears a heightened responsibility for maintaining political equilibrium.
Contrary to some predictions, the far-right did not experience an overwhelming surge across Europe. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party came in second, while in Belgium, the separatist Vlaams Belang was outpaced by the nationalist New-Flemish Alliance.
As Europe processes the implications of these results, Macron’s unexpected call for a parliamentary election adds an additional layer of complexity and intrigue to the continent’s evolving political landscape.