Macron Calls on Moderates to Unite Against Extremism in French Snap Election
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged moderate politicians to unite against the far-right and far-left. On Wednesday, he appealed to “compatriots and political leaders who do not recognize themselves in the extremist fever” to join forces. This call comes as Macron faces a challenge from the far-right in snap elections on June 30 and July 7.
Speaking for the first time since Sunday, when his centrist Renaissance party underperformed in the European Union elections, Macron announced the dissolution of parliament and national elections. During the press conference, he invited “men and women of goodwill who can say ‘no’ to extremes to join together to build a joint project” for the benefit of France.
The recent European Parliament elections dealt a significant blow to Macron, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally securing more than twice the votes of his party, which finished second, trailing the center-left. In response, Macron called for unity among democratic forces, following an announcement by Eric Ciotti, leader of the conservative Republican Party, of plans to form an alliance with Le Pen. Left-wing parties, including the Greens, Socialists, Communists, and far-left France Unbowed, have also agreed to form an alliance despite internal divisions.
Macron criticized Ciotti’s “pact with the devil” and condemned alliances on both the left and right. He urged the “centrist, progressive, democratic and republican” bloc to unite against these alliances, either before or after the elections. Ciotti has faced criticism from within his party for what some see as a betrayal of its legacy.
On Tuesday, Macron, who has three years left in his term, ruled out resigning regardless of the snap elections’ outcome, citing constitutional support for his presidency. He reiterated this stance during the press conference, stating that the prospect of his resignation “never existed.”
Additionally, Macron announced the suspension of planned electoral reform in the overseas territory of New Caledonia. The South Pacific archipelago has experienced significant unrest over the plan in recent weeks, resulting in multiple deaths and the deployment of troops from France.