Macron dissolves the French parliament and calls a snap election after defeat in EU vote
Paris (AP/PTI): President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the lower house of France's parliament in a surprise announcement sending voters back to the polls in the coming weeks to choose lawmakers, after his party was handed a humbling defeat by the far-right in the European elections Sunday.
The legislative elections will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7.
The announcement came after the first projected results from France put the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union's parliamentary elections, handing a chastening loss to Macron's pro-European centrists, according to French opinion poll institutes.
Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration, nationalist party was estimated to get around 31-32 per cent of the votes, a historic result more than double the share of Macron's Renaissance party, which was projected to reach around 15 per cent.
Macron himself wasn't a candidate in the EU elections and his term as president still runs for three more years.
He said the decision was “serious” but showed his “confidence in our democracy, in letting the sovereign people have their say.”
“In the next few days, I'll be saying what I think is the right direction for the nation. I've heard your message, your concerns, and I won't leave them unanswered,” he said.
In latest legislative elections in 2022, Macron's centrist party won the most seats but lost its majority at the National Assembly, forcing lawmakers into political maneuvering to pass bills.
With Sunday's decision, he is taking a big risk with a move that could backfire and increase the chances of Le Pen to eventually take power.
A scenario in which an opposition party would eventually win a parliament majority could lead to a fraught power-sharing situation called “cohabitation,” with Macron to name a prime minister with different views.
Le Pen, who head the National Rally group at the National Assembly, “welcomed” Macron's move.
'We're ready for it,” said Le Pen, who was the runner-up to Macron in the last two presidential elections. “We're ready to exercise power if the French people place their trust in us in these future legislative elections. We're ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration, ready to make the purchasing power of the French a priority.”
The EU elections results were a hard blow for Macron, who has been advocating for Europe-wide efforts to defend Ukraine and the need for the EU to boost its own defences and industry.
The National Rally's lead candidate for the EU elections, Jordan Bardella, campaigned for limiting free movement of migrants by carrying out national border controls and dialing back EU climate rules. The party no longer wants to leave the EU and the euro, but aims to weaken it from within.
“Tonight, our compatriots have expressed a desire for change,” Bardella said. “Emmanuel Macron is tonight a weakened president.“
An official at Macron's office said the decision to dissolve the National Assembly was justified by the “historic score of the far-right” that could not be ignored and the current “parliamentarian disorder."
“You're never wrong when you give the people a say,” said the official, who spoke anonymously in line with the practice of Macron's office.
EU elections' projections also show a resurgence of the Socialist Party, with about 14% of the votes. The party campaigned on more ambitious climate policies and protections for European businesses and workers, with about 14% of the votes.
Reacting to Macron's announcement, far-left politician Francois Ruffin called on all leaders from the left, including the Greens to unite under a single “Popular Front” banner. “To avoid the worse, to win,” he wrote on X.
France is electing 81 members of the European Parliament, which has 720 seats in total.
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India asks its nationals in Iran to leave by available means
New Delhi (PTI): India on Monday advised all its nationals residing in Iran to leave the country by all available means of transport, including commercial flights, in view of the evolving security situation.
The Indian embassy in Iran issued a fresh advisory to the Indian nationals amid fresh protests in Tehran and increasing fears of US military strikes on the Gulf nation. Students at several universities in Iran held anti-government demonstrations in a first such agitation since Tehran's brutal crackdown on the protesters last month.
According to official estimates in January, little over 10,000 Indians, including students, were living in Iran.
"In continuation of the advisory issued by the government of India on January 5 and in view of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights," the embassy said.
The mission also reiterated that all Indian citizens and PIOs (persons of Indian-origin) should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy.
"All Indian nationals in Iran are requested to also have their travel and immigration documents, including passports and identity cards, readily available with them," the mission said in the advisory.
"They are requested to contact the Indian Embassy for any assistance in this regard," it said.
