Macron's Snap Election Shocks Rivals After EU Vote Upset
France is gearing up for unexpected snap elections after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the parliament in the wake of a significant defeat by the far-right National Rally in the European elections. The two-round election, set to begin on June 30, is predicted to have profound implications, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warning of potentially severe consequences for modern French history.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats also suffered a heavy blow in the European elections, losing to the conservative opposition. However, Scholz dismissed the idea of early elections, despite calls from the conservative CSU premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, for Germany to follow France’s example, suggesting the country needs a fresh start before the scheduled 2025 elections.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the French National Assembly and Macron ally, mentioned that a government pact was an alternative to the snap elections, but Macron chose not to pursue that route. With Macron’s Renew party polling below 15% and the National Rally securing over 31%, the government, lacking a parliamentary majority, depends on alliances with other parties for legislative support.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed frustration over the election timing, which is just three weeks before the city hosts the Olympics. The decision for new elections has caused turmoil across the political landscape, prompting urgent meetings among far-right leaders and calls for unity from the divided left, particularly around Socialist Raphaël Glucksmann, who garnered nearly 14% in the European vote.
On the same day, Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, where Steinmeier emphasized the importance of remembering the destructive power of nationalism and hate, highlighting the EU’s role in reconciliation.
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) outperformed all three parties in Scholz’s coalition, despite controversies surrounding its leaders. The newly elected AfD MEPs even voted to exclude their top candidate, Maximilian Krah, due to alleged ties with Russia and China.
Amidst these political shifts, Macron is slated to meet Scholz and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in Italy. Discussions will likely cover the European election outcomes and whether to support Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term as European Commission president. Meloni remarked that it was too early to discuss another mandate for von der Leyen, even though her European People’s Party emerged as the largest group in the new European Parliament.
Other European countries also saw notable election results. Poland’s Civic Coalition, led by Donald Tusk, narrowly defeated the right-wing populist PiS party, marking a rare success for Tusk. Conversely, in the Czech Republic, former Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s opposition ANO party won the most seats, while three smaller anti-system parties, including the Motorists party, also gained ground. The Motorists’ controversial MEP Filip Turek has faced backlash for his past social media posts showing affinity for Nazi symbols.
In Northern Europe, the far-right parties in Finland and Sweden performed poorly compared to expectations, while Denmark saw a surprising victory for the Green-Left party SF over the Social Democrats, despite the recent physical assault on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
As Europe reflects on the rise of far-right and nationalist parties, leaders like Czech President Petr Pavel stress the need to understand and address these growing sentiments within the EU.
