Why has Emmanuel Macron called an election in France? Everything you need to know about the parliamentary election that will be held within the next month

Far-right political heavyweight Marine Le Pen said on Sunday night that her party is ‘ready to take power’ after Emmanuel Macron called for a snap poll following a major defeat in the European Elections.

Macron dissolved France’s parliament and announced the vote in the wake of a massive swing to the Right during the country’s European Union elections.

The president suffered a humiliating defeat after Le Pen’s National Rally party took home a projected 31.5% of the vote.

So, why has Macron decided to call an election? When will it be held and how does it affect the political landscape in France? 

Read on below for everything you need to know about the upcoming parliamentary elections in France.  

In attempting to weaken the far-right, Macron is gambling on his own vulnerable party avoiding huge losses that could derail his final years in government

Why has Macron called an election? 

While the news of Macron calling an election may come as a surprise to many, there is one key point to remember: the upcoming vote will be for a parliamentary election in France and not a presidential one. 

Under constitutional rules, presidents cannot be elected for more than two five-year terms in France.

Macron will have already served these having first been chosen by voters in 2017 before being re-elected in 2022 – ruling him out of contention for the 2027 presidential race. 

Following his announcement, Macron said: ‘France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony. To be French, at heart, it is about choosing to write history, not be driven by it.’ 

However, in attempting to weaken the far-right, Macron is gambling on his own vulnerable party avoiding huge losses that could derail his final years in government  while giving Le Pen even more power. 

He is far from being widely popular with the French public either, having only survived a vote of no-confidence in his government by a mere nine votes back in March 2023. 

Predictions from analysts do offer hope for the beleaguered president, though, as they have forecast that – although Le Pen’s party could gain more MPs, it is unlikely to win enough seats to secure a majority – meaning the next French parliament could be even more disjointed than the already fractured one currently in place.  

When are the French parliamentary elections?

According to Article 12 of the French constitution, presidents are permitted to dissolve the National Assembly to resolve political crises, such as permanent and irreconcilable differences between parliament and the executive. 

Voters must be called to the polls in the 20 to 40 days following the assembly’s dissolution. 

The first round of the upcoming parliamentary elections in France has subsequently been scheduled for June 30, with the second round to follow on July 7. 

Will there be an early presidential election?

Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally, is seen at the party election night headquarters after French President Emanuel Macron announced his decision to dissolve the- National Assembly

While this is not the first time that a French president has chosen to dissolve parliament, having occurred before in 1962, 1968, 1981 and 1988, their choice has not always been vindicated.

In 1997, the president at the time, Jacques Chirac, called snap legislative elections only to see the left win a majority that effectively left the country in limbo for the next five years.

Since Chirac’s call backfired spectacularly, no president has chosen to dissolve parliament since. 

This is, in part, due to the fact that the presidential and parliamentary terms were synchronised in 2000, giving voters the chance to allow each president a parliamentary majority – until Macron’s re-election in 2022. 

Although an early presidential election is unlikely, nothing can be ruled out given the landslide nature of Macron’s defeat in the European Elections and his follow-up decision to call a parliamentary one.