Battered by Far Right in E.U. Vote, Macron Calls for New Elections in France
PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron of France called on Saturday for new parliamentary elections to be held in June, after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections, with the far right making significant gains.
Mr. Macron’s La République En Marche party won just 22.4 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, a sharp drop from the 24 percent it won in the last national elections in 2017. The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, won 23.3 percent, according to the results, a significant increase from the 21.3 percent it won in the last European elections in 2014.
The results were a humiliating blow to Mr. Macron, who had hoped to use the European elections to rebuild his political momentum after a series of setbacks, including the “yellow vest” protests and a series of strikes that have paralyzed the country.
“The French have expressed their anger and their desire for change,” Mr. Macron said in a statement on Saturday. “I hear them. I understand them. I respect them.”
He added: “I will not disappoint them.”
Mr. Macron said he would ask the French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, to dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections on June 13 and 20.
The European elections were the first test of Mr. Macron’s political strength since he was elected in 2017, and the results were a clear sign that his political honeymoon is over.
The National Rally, which was known as the National Front until earlier this year, has been gaining ground in France for years, but the results on Sunday were its best showing in a national election since its founding in 1972.
Ms. Le Pen, who has been trying to soften the party’s image and broaden its appeal, said the results were a “historic victory” for the National Rally.
“The French people have given us a clear mandate,” she said in a statement. “They want a change of course.”