French President Emmanuel Macron left his country reeling on Sunday after he dissolved parliament and called snap general elections in response to hefty gains by the far-right Rassemblement national (RN) party in European elections.
Around 373 million citizens from 27 countries belonging to the European Union bloc were eligible to vote in polls running from June 6 to 9, to decide who will represent them in the 720-seat European parliament.
According to preliminary forecasts for France, RN has taken 31.5% of the votes cast there, which will give it roughly 30 of France’s 81 seats.
Macron’s Renaissance coalition looks set to come in second with 15.2%, followed by the Socialists with the 14%. “This is not a good result for the parties which defend Europe, including that of the presidential majority,” Macron said in a televized address.
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