French President Macron calls a snap legislative election after defeat in EU vote

French President Emmanuel Macron appears on television screen at the French far-right National Rally party election night headquarters on June 9, 2024 in Paris. Mr. Macron has dissolved the National Assembly and called new legislative election after defeat in EU vote.
| Photo Credit: AP

French President Emanuel Macron said on June 9 he was dissolving the National Assembly and calling a snap legislative election after his party suffered a heavy defeat in elections for the European Parliament.

In an address to the nation from the Elysee presidential palace, Mr. Macron said: “I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote. I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly.” The vote will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, he said.

The move comes as first projected results from France on June 9 put the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election, defeating Mr. Macron’s pro-European centrists, according to French opinion poll institutes