PARIS (AP) 鈥 President Emmanuel Macron once appeared as a bold, young leader offering to revive France through radical pro-business, pro-European policies, leaving voters with 鈥渘o reason anymore鈥 to vote for the extremes.
Seven years after he was first elected, his call for weakens him at home and abroad, while the far right appears to be propelling to the verge of power. Macron, who has a presidential mandate until 2027, has said he before the end of his term.
Yet the prospect of a defeat in parliamentary elections means he may have to share power with a prime minister from a rival political party, possibly far-right 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Rally's president Jordan Bardella.
Macron announced the surprise vote earlier in June, after his centrist alliance suffered a crushing defeat in European Union elections.
He argued his alliance has not held a parliamentary majority since 2022, even while having the most seats. The situation forced him into political maneuvering to pass bills.
Voters in the two-round ballot on Sunday and July 7 are to choose who they'll send to the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Assembly, leading to the .
Macron defeated 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Rally leader Marine Le Pen twice in presidential elections, in 2017 and 2022.
Moments after his first victory, then age 39, he slowly walked to the stage in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris to the sound of the European anthem, 鈥淥de to Joy.鈥 There he declared of Le Pen's voters: 鈥淚 will do everything 鈥 so that they don鈥檛 have any reason anymore to vote for the extremes.鈥
Macron鈥檚 centrist political startup that he promoted then as 鈥渘either right- nor left-wing鈥 crushed traditional rivals, the Socialist Party and the conservative Republicans.
In 2022, as he defeated Le Pen again but with a smaller margin, Macron acknowledged French people voted 鈥渘ot to support my ideas, but rather to block those of the far right.鈥
Now, his centrist alliance鈥檚 existence is under threat. Polls show top contenders in the parliamentary race are mostly candidates from the far right and the , the New Popular Front.
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe recently said Macron 鈥渉as killed the presidential majority.鈥
Early Friday, following an EU summit in Brussels, Macron justified his decision to .
鈥淚t was indispensable to ask (voters) for a clarification. And I don鈥檛 think we can pursue ambitious policies without involving the people,鈥 he said.
Asked about a 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Rally lawmaker who argued that dual nationals such as a French-Moroccan former minister shouldn鈥檛 be members of the government, Macron answered: 鈥淚t says a lot about what鈥檚 at stake."
He recalled France鈥檚 ideals of 鈥淟iberty, Equality, Fraternity.鈥
鈥淥vert racism or antisemitism says something about a profound betrayal of what France is, of its values, of what our Republic is. And that鈥檚 something we have to fight with force, and we have to be outraged at," Macron said. "Because it鈥檚 not about politics, it鈥檚 not just about a vote. It鈥檚 about the very possibility of living together.鈥
鈥淚鈥檒l never give up" on fighting the far right "whatever is happening,鈥 Macron said.
Asked whether he discussed French elections with Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Brussels that 鈥渋t would be very strange if I wouldn鈥檛 speak to my friend Emmanuel Macron about it. That鈥檚 what we do."
Scholz, who belongs to the center-left Social Democrats, added: "Of course I hope that, for example, parties that are politically closer to me do better than others. 鈥 We shouldn鈥檛 anticipate the result.鈥
Macron argued in a news conference earlier this month that his economic achievements speak for themselves. Unemployment has fallen from over 10% to 7.5% and France has been ranked the most attractive European country for foreign investment in recent years.
Yet his time in office has been marred by major turbulence, from the yellow vest protests against perceived social and economic injustice to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the 2023 riots triggered by the .
Whatever the outcome, Macron's move to call snap elections already leaves France weakened on the European stage, according to Lisa Thomas-Darbois, deputy director of France studies at the Paris-based Institut Montaigne think tank.
It "has provoked a certain amount of fear on the part of our European and international partners,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e can see that, just in terms of our interest rates on the financial markets, our credibility is somewhat diminished.鈥
鈥淚s it because we鈥檙e potentially facing a political deadlock for a year? Or is it because we potentially could have the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Rally in power? We can鈥檛 really say at this stage," she said. 鈥淲hat is certain is that the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Rally鈥檚 stance is not likely to be reassuring in terms of France鈥檚 image in the years to come."
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AP writers Ella Joyner in Brussels and Masha Macpherson in Paris contributed to this story.
