Following the surprise news overnight that France is to go to the polls with the two rounds of voting taking place from 30th June to 7th July – just ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics later in July, Lizzy Galbraith, Political Economist, abrdn said;
“Following poor European parliamentary elections, in which his Renaissance party secured 15.2% of the vote, well behind Marine le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) which won 31.5%, French President Macron has announced snap parliamentary elections on 30 June and 7 July.
“Parliamentary elections will not affect Macron’s position as president, but leave him vulnerable to having to govern with opposition parties in control of parliament, further entrenching the difficulties he has had in passing legislation under his current term.
“Macron will hope to use any concerns among French voters about the strength of RN to unify opposition votes and strengthen his voter base, but with his personal popularity low, he faces an uphill battle.
“Unlike the proportional system used in the European parliamentary elections, French parliamentary elections use first past the post, so while RN appears on course for major gains, they may not be as substantial as this weekend’s result suggests.”