French President Macron dissolves parliament in shocking move
A week before the first round of parliamentary elections, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, made a significant political gesture. He issued a letter to the nation, which was published by the French media on Sunday. The lengthy text has a surprising conclusion.
12:26 PM EDT, June 24, 2024
The French president surprised his compatriots with his response to the outcome of the European Parliament elections. Macron decided to dissolve the National Assembly and announce new parliamentary elections, scheduled for next Sunday, June 30, and July 7.
The first extensive part of the letter, which Macron conveyed on Sunday, explains this decision, which, as the president admits, "sparked anger directed at me". However, he emphasizes that it was for the good of the country. "The opposition was preparing to overthrow the government in the fall, which would have plunged our country into crisis as soon as the budget was passed,” wrote Macron.
The message includes harsh criticism of opponents. Macron warns that the far-right National Assembly (RN), a group founded in the 1970s by Jean-Marie Le Pen, led by his daughter Marine Le Pen since 2011, claims to have the best ideas for security and illegal immigration, but it only "divides the nation" and "ignores climate change" and under the guise of reforms will lead to tax increases.
The New People's Front also received criticism, a coalition founded on June 10, 2024, for the upcoming snap elections. The NFP, which includes La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, the Greens, the French Communist Party, as well as the leftist group Generation.s and the environmental group Place Publique, was accused by the president of "refusing to take a clear stance on secularism and anti-Semitism".
France before the elections. Macron's resignation? He wrote a letter
Against these harmful directions, the French president supported the candidates of Together for the Republic. He emphasized that they guarantee "respect, ambition, and justice for our Nation."
"Emmanuel Macron thus hopes to use the power of the media to try to save his camp, which polls predict will not only lose its relative majority but worse, take third place far behind RN and NFP," comments the Monday edition of "Le Parisien". The newspaper notes that Macron is acting contrary to his advisors' suggestions, who recommend that the president make few public appearances for now.
Even representatives of his camp publicly distance themselves from him, giving the impression that the post-Macron era has begun. However, the letter contains a message that seems directed specifically at them.
"I trust that the leaders of the majority and the Prime Minister will remain united," writes Macron. And he adds, to reassure those who believe he will have no choice but to resign: "You can trust me that I will serve as your president until May 2027." "With my confidence," he adds.
