French President Emmanuel Macron appears to have pressed the political self-destruct button over the weekend, as his Renaissance party suffered a heavy defeat in the European Parliament elections at the hands of the far-right National Rally, led by the ever-ascending Marine Le Pen and her likely 2027 presidential aspirant protégé, Jordan Bardella. In a move that shocked much of France but possibly no one who had read a poll this year, Macron responded to the stinging result not with quiet reflection but with a bold dash to the electoral roulette table by dissolving the National Assembly and calling for snap legislative elections.
Renaissance scraped together a paltry 15 percent of the vote, while the National Rally galloped away with more than 31 percent, prompting Macron to go with the political equivalent of “if at first you don’t succeed, yell ‘surprise election’ and hit reset.” This marks the worst result for a sitting French president in EU elections since the days when floppy disks were still fashionable.
The two-round legislative election is now scheduled for June 30 and July 7, giving Macron’s worn-out party a mere few weeks to attempt what is either a daring political comeback or an elaborately choreographed surrender. Le Pen, wearing the sort of smile one reserves for early Christmas gifts, welcomed the president’s decision and declared her party “ready to take power” with the calm cheerfulness of someone who just found out their biggest competitor took a sabbatical during finals week.
Macron, known for his affinity for high-stakes gambles and furrowed-brow intellectualism, defended his decision with the solemnity of a philosophy professor assigning extra homework. He called the vote “an act of trust” in the French people and suggested it was necessary to “clarify” the political situation, which in this case might be interpreted as “clarify who exactly is still on speaking terms with my government.”
Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old National Rally list leader who continues to exude the unshakable confidence of a man who’s never lost a televised debate to someone over 40, celebrated the EU result and hinted broadly at ambitions that could, in a few elections’ time, end with him ordering curtains redecorated in the Élysée Palace.
Macron’s gamble may yet play out in some unexpected way because French politics has a long history of behaving like a surrealist painting left out in the rain, but for now, the president finds himself in a race to reestablish control before Le Pen’s party starts measuring the drapes.
The voters were asked for their opinion and cheerfully gave their disapproval wrapped in a tricolor bow.