French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right

PARIS —French President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision to hold snap elections following his party’s catastrophic defeat in the European legislative election, asserting on Wednesday that voters will ultimately choose the “progressive bloc” against the far right.

A somber-looking Macron said his decision to hold early legislative elections, which will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, demonstrates his “confidence” in the French people. He urged moderate politicians on the left and right to join forces with his centrist alliance to oppose the far-right.

Macron | AP News Image

French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right

“I think the French are intelligent, they see what’s being done, what’s coherent and what’s not, and they know what to do,” Macron stated. He continued, “I don’t believe the worst is possible. You know, I am an indefatigable optimist.”

The 46-year-old president addressed French voters in a news conference for the first time since his stunning decision on Sunday to dissolve the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, following Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party’s victory in the European Parliament election.

Macron sought to allay the fears of those who believed the risky move would result in the French far-right running a government for the first time since World War II.

Since the general elections were announced on Sunday evening, people have gathered daily in Paris and across the country to oppose the National Rally.

Macron was emphatic in his belief that voters would reject the excesses of both major parties. He reassured that he was not succumbing to defeatism and would complete his second presidential term regardless of the outcome of the legislative vote.

Macron explained that his choice is about “allowing political forces chosen by the French to govern.” He also stated that it is “awkward to believe that it must be the extreme right or political extremes. Or perhaps you’ve transmitted the spirit of loss everywhere.”

“If that’s what people are afraid of, it’s time now to take action,” he stated.

Macron rationalized his choice by stating that he couldn’t ignore the new political reality after his pro-European party suffered a humiliating defeat and received less than half the support of the National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella.

Macron | AP News Image

French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right

Unlike in his recent national addresses, in which Macron focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and how Europe should forge a common defense policy independent of the United States and strengthen trade protections against China, the French president stuck to internal issues favored by the rising right, such as immigration control, crime prevention, and Islamic separatism in France.

Macron, who has three years left in his second presidential term, thinks that voters can unite to keep the far right at bay in national elections, as they did in European ones. He encouraged “men and women of goodwill who were able to say ‘no’ to extremes on the left and the right to join together to build a joint project” to benefit the nation.

“Things are simple today: we have unnatural alliances at both extremes, who quite agree on nothing except the jobs to be shared, and who will not be able to implement any programme,” Macron stated.

While he appeared to exude the same excitement that helped him win the presidency in 2017, observers believe French voters are more worried about their future and regard Macron as increasingly disconnected from real-life and financial issues.

The French president admitted some flaws in his pro-business centrist party while strongly criticizing some conservatives who have elected to align with Le Pen’s National Rally, which has a history of racism and xenophobia. He scathingly described an alliance established by left-wing groups as “unusual and incoherent” when it included Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-left France Unbowed, which, Macron claimed, “justified anti-Semitic policies” in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.

“We’re not perfect, we haven’t done everything right, but we have results… and, above all, we know how to act,” Macron said of his Renaissance party, adding that the “far-right (is) the main danger” in the forthcoming elections.

“The question is, who will govern the country tomorrow?” asked the man. “The far right and a few allies, or the democratic, progressive bloc? That is the main question.

Macron | AP News Image

French President Macron Defends Decision To Call Snap Election, Urges Voters To Defeat The Far-Right

Potential alliances and France’s two-round voting procedure in national elections make the outcome exceedingly unpredictable.

Opposition groups on the left and right have been hurrying to create coalitions and field candidates in the early legislative elections.

While major divides between parties persist on both sides of the political spectrum, prominent politicians pushing for a united front appear to have one thing in common: they do not want to work with Macron.

Despite their disagreements, left-wing groups decided late Monday to form an alliance that includes the Greens, Socialists, Communists, and the far-left France Unbowed.

Le Pen attempts to consolidate authority on the right to turn the European triumph into a national one and move closer to grabbing power. Her party will likely win the most French seats in the European Parliament, maybe up to 30 of France’s 81.