Macron, who lost his majority at the National Assembly in 2022, is taking a big risk with the move that could backfire and increase the chances of Le Pen to eventually take power.
The French president said the decision was “serious” but showed his “confidence in our democracy, in letting the sovereign people have their say.”
“In the next few days, I’ll be saying what I think is the right direction for the nation. I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” he said.
The initial indications are a hard blow for Macron, who has been advocating for Europe-wide efforts to defend Ukraine and the need for the EU to boost its own defenses and industry.
The move comes as first projected results from France on Sunday put the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election, defeating Macron’s pro-European centrists, according to French opinion poll institutes.
In Germany, support for Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats sank to a projected 14 per cent, behind the extreme-right Alternative for Germany, which surged into second place.
Millions of Europeans have been casting their ballots this week for a new European Parliament, the legislative branch of the 27-member trade bloc, in one of the world’s biggest democratic elections. Far-right parties were expected to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers’ discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are also key topics weighing on the minds of voters.
Exit polls results have been trickling in, but official results are not expected before the last polling stations in all 27 EU nations close late Sunday.
