French Political Parties Scramble For Allies After Macron's Shock Snap-Election Announcement

The election is considered risky as there is a chance that Macron may lose control over most French domestic policy if the far-Right parties win a majority in the National Assembly. 

Political parties in France are holding emergency talks amid a scramble for allies after French President Emmanuel Macron's shock announcement of a snap election for the lower house of parliament, The Guardian has reported. The decision to hold the election was taken after Macron’s party, Renaissance, faced defeat against the far-Right in the EU elections, concluded Sunday. 

“This will be the most consequential parliamentary election for France and for the French in the history of the Fifth Republic," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL Radio, as quoted by The Guardian. "We must fight for France and for the French. We have three weeks to campaign and convince the French."

The report said the far-Right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen was projected to win over double the votes (32%) in the EU elections compared to the President's allies (approx. 15%). Macron announced the two-round election soon after the outcome of the EU election began to get clear, and explained his decision in the context of his reluctance to accept the rise of the far-Right across Europe. He said he wanted to give the French people a choice, adding that "I have confidence in the ability of the French people to make the fairest choice for themselves and for future generations".

The election is considered a gamble as there is a chance that Macron may lose control over most French domestic policy if the far-Right parties win a majority, multiple reports on the election have noted. 

The Guardian report quoted Renaissance MP Emmanuel Pellerin as saying that he and his colleagues were “still in shock” about the decision, and felt that the RN may win either a relative or absolute majority. “But that forces the French to think about what is at stake,” he said. 

Even the RN expressed shock. “We didn’t think it would be immediately after the European elections, even if we wanted it to be. Elections are rarely a gift and in this context, they aren’t,” Sebastien Chenu, the RN deputy chair, told RTL Radio, according to the report.

A report by Reuters cited an opinion poll as saying that the RN, which is known for its anti-immigration stand, is projected to win 235 to 265 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly in the upcoming election, up from its current 88. The poll suggests that while the RN will be the single-largest party, it will fall short of securing a majority. 

However, The Guardian noted, analysts feel that a far-Right majority is unlikely as voters use the EU elections as a platform to "deliver a kick to the incumbent government". The final results in parliamentary elections, it said, may turn out to be different.