Tag: macron

Categories
-Top News EU News USA

Europe Braces For Complexities Of Trump 2.0

French President Emmanuel Macron voiced concerns, stating, “Trump was elected by the American people. He will defend American interests… The question is whether we are willing to defend European interests. It is the only question.”

With Donald Trump clinching a historic victory in the US presidential election on Wednesday, world leaders, including those across Europe, extended their formal congratulations.

However, beneath these diplomatic gestures, European leaders expressed mixed reactions, considering what Trump’s return might mean for transatlantic ties.

Just a day after Trump’s win, around 50 European leaders gathered in Budapest for the fifth meeting of the European Political Community. Alongside Europe’s pressing agenda, discussions centered around the future of the EU-US alliance under Trump’s leadership.

French President Emmanuel Macron voiced concerns, stating, “Trump was elected by the American people. He will defend American interests… The question is whether we are willing to defend European interests. It is the only question.”

Macron’s pointed remarks highlighted the bloc’s cautious approach as it braces for the complexities of a Trump 2.0 era.

As official congratulations were extended, European leaders have reportedly begun preparing for a potentially unpredictable chapter in EU-U.S. relations.

European Council President Charles Michel emphasised the “enduring alliance and historic bond” between the 27-nation bloc and the United States, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underscored the importance of the “true partnership” that sustains “millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on each side of the Atlantic.”

Yet von der Leyen’s team has reportedly been preparing contingency plans for months, including potential retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports should Trump impose new duties on European goods. “We’re ready for any bumps that might appear, it’s not our first rodeo,” a senior European diplomat told Euronews on condition of anonymity.

Despite Trump’s prior threats to pull the United States out of NATO, new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who previously engaged with Trump as Dutch Prime Minister, offered a message of support, saying Trump’s “leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong.”

Macron pledged readiness to work “with respect and ambition,” and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed that Germany and the United States would continue to collaborate for “the well-being of our citizens”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Amid these statements, Macron and Scholz reportedly conferred privately, seeking a coordinated European response to Trump’s return, with both leaders emphasising the need for a “stronger Europe within this new context,” European media reported.

Across the channel, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced confidence in the country’s enduring “special relationship” with the United States, though media reports suggest his team is bracing for possible trade frictions akin to those foreseen by EU leaders.

During Trump’s first term, his “America First” doctrine placed considerable strain on US-EU relations, sparking disputes over trade tariffs, NATO funding, and US withdrawals from landmark agreements like the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accord. Analysts warn that his comeback could become a “Trumpian nightmare” for Europe, especially given the strife of his first administration with the bloc and his campaign promises.

One of Trump’s proposals — a sweeping 10-per cent tariff on all imports — looms as a major concern for Europe’s export-dependent economies, particularly in the automotive, luxury goods, and machinery sectors.

In 2023, the EU exported 502 billion euros (about 542 billion US dollars) in goods to the United States, according to Eurostat.

Goldman Sachs forecast that such tariffs could weaken the euro by up to 10 per cent, further pressuring the eurozone and diminishing Europe’s global competitiveness.

Additionally, Trump has been a staunch critic of Europe’s defence spending, repeatedly urging NATO members to increase their contributions.

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis suggested that Trump might push European nations to allocate as much as 2.5 per cent or even 3 per cent of GDP to defence — an imposing burden as Europe contends with the prolonged Ukraine crisis, a situation many see as linked to NATO’s eastward expansion under US administrations’ continuous push.

Trump’s ambivalence toward the Ukraine issue has heightened anxiety among European capitals, with Rachel Tausendfreund, a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, suggesting that Trump might push for a rapid ceasefire, catching Europe off guard.

Moreover, Trump’s campaign also includes pledges that clash with EU priorities. His support for fossil fuels and potential withdrawal from the Paris Agreement counter Europe’s green agenda, while his protectionist trade policies challenge Europe’s economic sovereignty and commitment to multilateralism.

At Thursday’s gathering, Michel urged Europe to strengthen its self-reliance, asserting, “We have to be more masters of our destiny… not because of Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, but because of our children.”

His words resonated among Europe’s strategic planners. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola deemed Trump’s victory “a perfect moment” for the EU to deepen cooperation on security, migration, and strategic autonomy, affirming that Europe “must set out its own future.”

For many European leaders, Trump’s transactional stance is seen as a “bitter medicine” that could accelerate Europe’s drive toward autonomy.

Calls for European autonomy have grown in recent years as both major US parties prioritize American interests, often at Europe’s expense, Xinhua news agency reported.

Even under President Joe Biden, US policies like the Inflation Reduction Act’s subsidies for US-based green technology have placed strain on European industries. Additionally, Biden’s continuation of Trump-era sanctions on Nord Stream 2 has left Europe vulnerable to energy insecurity, while US pressures to limit Chinese tech investments have tested Europe’s economic sovereignty.

These developments highlight a broader reality: transatlantic ties are likely to face continued strain as the United States undergoes long-term structural shifts that increasingly prioritise domestic concerns over traditional alliance obligations.

Last year, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan outlined a “New Washington Consensus” focused on revitalizing domestic industries and strengthening supply chains — a strategy that underscores a structural shift within the US economy. This approach leans toward selective protectionism, reflecting a pronounced emphasis on America’s self-interest.

A recent analysis by Bruegel emphasised that “long-term structural problems” are reshaping US global engagement, with a “crumbling defence industrial base” eroding its ability to uphold commitments to allies. “The US is destined to disengage from the protection it granted Europe,” it said. “Europe must ensure its own security.”

ALSO READ: Starmer covers defence, security in first call with Trump

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

New PM only after Olympics, says Macron  

Emanuel Macron-stepchild of western alliance may retaliate after AUKUS formation.(photo:IN)

Gabriel Attal submitted his resignation as prime minister to Macron on July 8 after the ruling party failed to secure a majority in the snap legislative elections…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron said that he will not pick a new prime minister before the end of the Olympic Games to avoid “disorder”, local media reported.

“This government has prepared the Games, and our responsibility is to make sure they go well,” Macron said during an interview with France 2 channel, adding that he has chosen “stability” to safeguard the Games, which gather nearly 10,500 athletes and millions of fans, Xinhua news agency reported.

As the change of the prime minister and the appointment of a new government would create “chaos,” Macron called on political parties to seek compromises in the country’s parliament in the absence of an absolute majority.

Gabriel Attal submitted his resignation as prime minister to Macron on July 8 after the ruling party failed to secure a majority in the snap legislative elections.

On July 16, Macron accepted Attal’s resignation but asked him to stay as the head of a caretaker cabinet until the formation of a new administration.

ALSO READ-Macron accepts PM Attal’s resignation

Categories
-Top News EU News UK News

Macron accepts PM Attal’s resignation

French media said the prime minister’s resignation is expected to be formally accepted by Macron by Tuesday evening…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the prime minister’s resignation on Tuesday but kept him on as head of a caretaker government.

Macron’s office said in a statement that Macron accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and other ministers on Tuesday. Attal and other government members are to handle current affairs until a new government is being appointed, the statement said.

There is no firm timeline for when Macron must name a new prime minister. France is about to host the Paris Olympic Games at the end of the month.

Attal offered his resignation last week after a chaotic election result left the government in limbo. Macron asked him to remain temporarily as the head of the government pending a further decision, with France about to be under an international spotlight as it hosts the Paris Olympics.

French media said the prime minister’s resignation is expected to be formally accepted by Macron by Tuesday evening.

The move would allow Attal to take up his seat as a lawmaker in the National Assembly, France’s powerful lower house of government, and lead the group of Macron’s centrist allies. It would also prevent him from being exposed to a potential no-confidence vote in parliament. The opening session of the National Assembly is scheduled for Thursday.

The caretaker government led by Attal would focus only on handling day-to-day affairs. There is no firm timeline for when Macron, who held a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, must name a new prime minister.

France has been on the brink of government paralysis since elections for the National Assembly earlier this month resulted in a split among three major political groupings: the New Popular Front leftist coalition, Macron’s centrist allies and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.

The New Popular Front won the most seats but fell well short of the outright majority needed to govern on its own. The leftist coalition’s three main parties, the hard-left France Unbowed, the Socialists and the Greens, have urged the president to turn to them to form the new government, yet their internal talks have turned into a harsh dispute over whom to choose as prime minister.

France Unbowed suspended the talks on Monday, accusing the Socialists of sabotaging candidacies they have put forward to replace Attal. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said Tuesday the leftist coalition needs “to think, talk and resume discussions if it wants to meet the expectation of the public and fulfill its promise that it is ready to govern.

Faure acknowledged that lengthy discussions, public bickering and occasional angry verbal exchanges among the coalition’s party leaders are not a good look. But the stakes are so high that it’s not unusual for us to talk for a long time and that sometimes, we yell, Faure said on France Inter radio. National Rally vice president Sebastien Chenu said the quarrelling on the left is a sign that the New Popular Front is not ready to govern.

He also lashed out at Macron on Tuesday, saying the retention of Attal at the helm of government following two recent elections for the European Parliament and the National Assembly — was a denial of democracy.

Keeping him on to manage current affairs amounts to failing the French people, Chenu said in an interview with Europe 1 and CNews broadcasters. We cannot make something new out of something old, Chenu said. Attal must pack his bags, he and all his ministers.

Politicians from the three main groups are also waging a battle over the presidency and key committees in the National Assembly, France’s influential lower house of parliament. Manuel Bompard, a lawmaker of the France Unbowed said he supported the idea of blocking lawmakers from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally from holding leading positions in the parliament’s committees, such as finance, defense and others.

ALSO READ-Le Pen blames Macron for French govt gridlock

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

Le Pen blames Macron for French govt gridlock

Le Pen condemned pre-election deals she said kept her National Rally (RN) party from power…reports Asian Lite News

France’s left-wing alliance and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc battled to put together rival bids to form a government, as far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Wednesday that blame for the political impasse lay squarely with Macron.

The unexpected outcome of Sunday’s snap election, in which the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) benefited from a surprise surge but no group won an absolute majority, has plunged France into uncertainty, with no obvious path to a stable government.

To further complicate things, leaders within each camp disagreed on who to reach out to in order to try to cobble together a deal. Internal tensions within parties also grew as members jostled for influence in rebuilding a political landscape blown apart by the snap ballot.

And any government — of the left, center, or a broader coalition — could quickly fall victim to a confidence vote from the opposition if it has not secured sufficient solid support.

“Today, we find ourselves in a quagmire since no one is able to know from what rank the prime minister will come, or what policy will be pursued for the country,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen told reporters as she arrived in parliament.

Le Pen condemned pre-election deals she said kept her National Rally (RN) party from power.

Macron, whose term ends in 2027, called the parliamentary ballot after his party was trounced by the far right in EU elections last month, had said it would clarify the landscape — which has not happened.

“To say the least, this is not a great success for Emmanuel Macron,” Le Pen quipped.

Amid warnings from rating agencies, financial markets, the European Commission and France’s euro zone partners are all watching closely to see whether the impasse can be broken.

It would be customary for Macron to call on the biggest parliamentary group to form a government, but nothing in the constitution obliges him to do so.

Options include a broad coalition and a minority government, which would pass laws in parliament on a case by case basis, with ad hoc agreements.

Phones are ringing constantly, political sources have said, with some centrists now hoping they can reach a deal with the conservative The Republicans and edge the left out.

“I think there is an alternative to the New Popular Front,” Aurore Berge, a senior lawmaker from Macron’s Renaissance group told France 2 TV. “I think the French don’t want the NFP’s platform to be implemented, I think they don’t want tax increases.”

“We are the only ones who can extend (our base),” she said.

Meanwhile, leftist leaders also took to the airwaves to stress that, having topped the election, they should run the government. But without a deal yet on who could be prime minister, they now face growing competition from the right and center.

Carole Delga, from the Socialist Party, stressed that the left on its own cannot govern, and must extend its hand to others — but on the basis of the NFP’s tax-and-spend program.

“The NFP has the greatest number of deputies in the National Assembly, it is therefore up to the NFP to constitute a government … this is what we are working toward,” Manuel Bompard, from France Unbowed, told LCI TV.

ALSO READ-Germany, France condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza schools

Categories
-Top News Europe UK News

Macron rejects PM’s resignation

Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said he is “thoroughly relieved” after the far right failed to win an outright majority in the French National Assembly…reports Asian Lite News

France President Emmanuel Macron, whose centrist alliance came in the second place after the New Popular Front’s Left Wing coalition in the runoff to parliamentary elections, on Monday asked his Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to stay in his post for now, CNN reported citing a source from the Elysee presidential palace.

Attal posted a selfie on his X platform just before heading out to offer his resignation, which was rejected by Macron, “for the time being in order to ensure the country’s stability.”

Results from the elections showed New Popular Front emerging winner with 182 seats making it the largest group but well short of the 289 required for an absolute majority. Macron’s Ensemble alliance won 163 seats and took second place while Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its allies were relegated to third place with 143 seats.

Also, former French President Francois Hollande, who governed the country for one term from 2012 to 2017, has been elected as the member of the French parliament for Correze, which he represented in the 1980s and 1990s, CNN reported.

“Although the formation of a government will now be very complicated, I think it is very good how the center and center-left parties and the left spectrum have worked together to prevent France from drifting into nationalism and Europe from getting into even more difficult waters,” he said.

According to CNN, Macron is unable to call a new election for at least another year. With three more years left of his term, President Macron looks set to preside over an unruly parliament, as problems mount at home and abroad, the US media channel analysed.

The New Popular Front (NFP) a cluster of several parties including from the far-left France Unbowed party to the more moderate Socialists and the Ecologists — won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest group but well short of the 289 required for an absolute majority.

The results of the elections were welcomed by other leaders in Europe.

Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said he is “thoroughly relieved” after the far right failed to win an outright majority in the French National Assembly.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed the victory. “This week, two of the largest countries in Europe have chosen the same path that Spain chose a year ago: rejection of the extreme right and a decisive commitment to a social left that addresses people’s problems with serious and brave policies,” Sanchez wrote in a post on X.

“The United Kingdom and France have said YES to progress and social advancement and NO to the regression in rights and freedoms. There is no agreement or government with the extreme right,” Sanchez said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had earlier last week congratulated the National Rally’s performance in the first round.

Meanwhile, France’s left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has said that the Left is “ready to govern” after emerging as the largest political bloc in parliament. The New Popular Front (NFP) coalition is led by Melenchon and its allies. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Left, Macron race to prevent far-right takeover

Categories
-Top News EU News UK News

Left, Macron race to prevent far-right takeover

But most projections show the RN falling short of an absolute majority, even though the final outcome remains far from certain…reports Asian Lite News

Emmanuel Macron’s centrist camp and a left-wing alliance were on Monday battling to prevent the far right from taking an absolute majority and control of government in a historic first after the French president’s gamble on early parliamentary elections backfired.

The far-right National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen won a resounding victory in the first round of the polls on Sunday, with Macron’s centrists trailing in third place behind the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.

Le Pen has asked voters to give her party an absolute majority during a second round of voting on July 7 so 28-year-old RN chief Jordan Bardella can become prime minister.

But most projections show the RN falling short of an absolute majority, even though the final outcome remains far from certain.

“The extreme right at the threshold of power,” read Monday’s headline in daily Le Monde.

Ahead of the second round, Macron’s camp has begun cooperating with the left-wing alliance in the hopes that tactical voting will prevent the RN winning the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority, which Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said would be “catastrophic”.

Third-place candidates who qualified for the second round have been urged to drop out to present a united front against the far-right.

Macron in a written statement on Sunday night urged a “broad” democratic coalition against the far right, which Bardella branded “a dishonourable alliance”. On Monday he convened a government meeting to decide a further course of action.

“Let’s not be mistaken. It’s the far right that’s on its way to the highest office, no one else,” he said at the meeting, according to one participant. “Not a single vote must go to the far right.”

He did not give any firm instructions to candidates over standing down, sources said. The emotion was palpable at the meeting, with three ministers dropping out of the race.

Analysts say that the most likely outcome of the snap election is a hung parliament that could lead to months of political paralysis and chaos.

The political crisis comes as Paris is preparing to host the Olympic Games this summer.

The RN garnered 33 percent of the vote on Sunday, compared to 28 percent for the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, and more than 20 percent for Macron’s centrist camp.

With a total of 76 candidates elected in the first round, the final composition of the 577-seat National Assembly will only be clear after the second phase.

The second round will see a three-way or two-way run-off in the remainder of the seats to be decided — although a tiny number of four-way run-offs are also possible.

The French stock market, which had been under considerable pressure in June amid the political uncertainty, rallied in early trading on hopes the RN would not win an absolute majority.

“The French election results have led to a sigh of relief from financial markets,” noted Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB trading group.

The arrival of the anti-immigration RN in government would be a turning point in French modern history — the first time a far-right force has taken power in the country since World War II, when it was occupied by Nazi Germany.

If the RN takes an absolute majority and Bardella, who has no governing experience, becomes prime minister, this would create a tense period of “cohabitation” with Macron, who has vowed to serve out his term until 2027.

The election results fuelled fresh criticism of Macron’s decision to call the poll in the first place, a move he took with only a tight circle of advisers in the hours after his party was trounced by the RN in European elections last month.

The right-wing Le Figaro in its editorial said the country faced a “tragedy” with only “bad solutions” on offer.

The chaos risks damaging the international credibility of Macron, who is et to attend the NATO summit in Washington immediately after the second round.

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the United States expected “to continue our close cooperation with the French government” regardless of the election results.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the far-right success was a cause for concern, describing the RN as “a party that sees Europe as the problem and not the solution”.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the results represented a “very dangerous” turn for France and Europe.

Russia, which the French government has repeatedly accused of seeking to interfere in domestic politics, is following the election results in France “very closely”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

With elections looming on Thursday in the United Kingdom, where the left-wing Labour party is expected to end 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule, Labour leader Keir Starmer said the French polls were a lesson that “we need to address the everyday concerns of so many people”.

But far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the results, saying attempts to “demonise” far-right voters were losing impact.

ALSO READ-Macron warns of ‘civil war’ if far left or right wins election

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

Former French president says Macron ascendency ‘is over’

French President Emmanuel Macron( https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron)

Re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term, Macron lost his absolute majority in parliament in legislative polls the same year….reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron’s ascendancy is “over,” former head of state Francois Hollande said, after his former protege called a snap election likely to hand massive gains to the far right.

“I have no scores to settle at all. That’s all in the past,” Hollande said on the campaign trail in his native Correze department in central France, where he is standing to be an MP. Suffering at the time from abysmal poll ratings, Socialist Hollande did not himself stand for a second term at the 2017 election.

Running as a pro-business centrist, his former economy minister Macron pulled off a surprise win that shattered traditional governing parties on the left and the right.

Now just two years into the younger man’s second term, “Macronism is over, if indeed it ever existed. But it’s over, I say it with no special hostility,” Hollande said. “I don’t mean that his presidential term is coming to an end, that’s something different. But what he may have represented for a time is over,” he added.

Re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term, Macron lost his absolute majority in parliament in legislative polls the same year.

His party has limped on in minority government, passing hard-fought and controversial reforms including raising the pension age and toughening immigration law.But a heavy defeat at June 9’s European Parliament election prompted Macron to dissolve parliament in hopes of breaking the deadlock. A new chamber will be elected on June 30 and July 7 with the far-right National Rally (RN) looking set to win the most seats.

France’s two-round electoral system makes predicting outcomes tricky, but it is highly unlikely that Macron’s gamble will pay off by winning a new majority. Instead, he could find himself presiding over a government run by an ideological opponent. Macron’s rule has “had a heavy political cost,” Hollande said.

“The parties were heavily damaged and public morale was too. The far right has never been so strong.” Hollande’s Socialist party has formed an electoral alliance with other left parties including Greens, Communists and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI). Their New Popular Front (NFP) is currently running second to the RN in the polls, both well ahead of Macron’s Renaissance outfit.

“It’s time for a political realignment,” Hollande said. “I didn’t plan to stand for any election in my position, something very serious had to happen” in the shape of the RN’s more than 31 percent in the European election, he added.

Some Socialist voters have struggled with the idea of backing an alliance with LFI and its fiery leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, with some party figures accused of anti-Semitism and a history of Euroskeptic statements. “I’m in the framework of an alliance because it has to be done, but there’s no kind of confusion” between his positions and Melenchon’s, Hollande said.

If elected, “I’ll be an MP who will call for responsibility whatever happens… vigilant and committed to finding solutions,” he added.

ALSO READ: Zelensky Boosts Solar Energy Amid Russian Attacks

ALSO READ: EU Agrees on New Russia Sanctions

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

Macron urges moderate politicians to regroup

The decision to send to the polls voters who just expressed their discontent with Macron’s politics was a risky move that could result in the French far-right leading a government for the first time since World War II…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Wednesday moderate politicians from the left and the right to regroup to defeat the far right in the upcoming national legislative elections he had called for after his party’s crushing defeat in the European parliamentary vote.

A somber-looking Macron addressed French voters for the first time since his stunning decision on Sunday to dissolve the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament.

His move triggered an early legislative election that will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, three weeks after the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen triumphed at the election for the European Union Parliament.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Macron said he decided on the risky move because he could not ignore the new political reality after his pro-European party was handed a chastening defeat and garnered less than half the support of the National Rally with its star leader, Jordan Bardella.

Unlike in his recent national addresses in which Macron focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and ways Europe should forge a common defense policy, independent of the United States, and shore up trade protections against China, the French president stuck to his country’s internal issues favored by the surging right, including curbing immigration, fighting crime and Islamic separatism in France.

Macron, who has three years left of his second presidential term, hopes voters will band together to contain the far right in national elections in a way they didn’t in European ones. He called on “men and women of goodwill who were able to say ‘no’ to extremes to join together to be able to build a joint project” for the country.

“Things are simple today: we have unnatural alliances at both extremes, who quite agree on nothing except the jobs to be shared, and who will not be able to implement any program,” Macron said during his opening address at a press conference in Paris.

As for his own centrist alliance, Macron said: “We’re not perfect, we haven’t done everything right, but we have results… and above all, we know how to act.”

The decision to send to the polls voters who just expressed their discontent with Macron’s politics was a risky move that could result in the French far-right leading a government for the first time since World War II.

Potential alliances and France’s two-round voting system in national elections make the outcome of the vote highly uncertain. Macron was adamant in his faith in the French voters’ intent to refuse to choose the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum.

He assured that he is not failing into defeatism and said he will serve out his second presidential term regardless of the outcome of the legislative vote.

“I think the French are intelligent, they see what’s being done, what’s coherent and what’s not, and they know what to do,” Macron said. He added: “I don’t believe at all that the worst can happen. You see, I’m an indefatigable optimist.”

He rebuffed accusations that his move to call snap elections would help the far-right take power in France. “It’s about allowing political forces chosen by the French to be able to govern,” he said and added that it’s “awkward to think it has to be the extreme right or political extremes. Or maybe you’ve got the spirit of defeat spread everywhere. If that’s what people are afraid of, it’s time now to take action,” he said.

ALSO READ-Macron urges French to make ‘right choice’ in election gamble

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

Macron urges French to make ‘right choice’ in election gamble

Analysts say the French leader has taken the extremely risky gamble of calling for snap polls in a bid to keep the far-right National Rally (RN) out of power when his second term ends in 2027…reports Asian Lite News

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he was confident the French would make the “right choice” in snap elections he called after the far right inflicted a crushing defeat on his centrist alliance in EU elections.

His surprise move came after mainstream centrist parties kept an overall majority in the European Parliament in Sunday’s poll, but the far right notched up a string of high-profile victories in Italy, Austria and France.

In Germany, where the three ruling coalition parties also performed dismally, centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman on Monday ruled out a snap poll.

Analysts say the French leader has taken the extremely risky gamble of calling for snap polls in a bid to keep the far-right National Rally (RN) out of power when his second term ends in 2027.

“I am confident in the capacity of the French people to make the right choice for themselves and for future generations,” Macron wrote on X on Monday morning.

“My sole ambition is to be useful to our country that I love so much.”

Macron’s announcement of elections for a new National Assembly on June 30, with a second round on July 7 in France, has sparked widespread alarm, even from within the ranks of his own party.

“By playing with fire, the head of state could end up by burning himself and dragging the entire country into the fire,” Le Monde wrote in an editorial.

Lower house speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, a senior figure within Macron’s party, on Monday morning appeared to express some dissent, indicating that forming a coalition with other parties could have been a better “path”.

“The president believed that this path did not exist… I take note of the decision,” she told the France 2 television channel.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Socialist, described the prospect of elections just weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics as “extremely unsettling”. But the International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach played down any direct impact on the event.

In a televised address late Sunday, Macron warned of the danger of “the rise of nationalists and demagogues” for France and its place in Europe.

Macron noted that, including the RN, far-right parties in France had managed to take almost 40 percent of the EU vote.

He hopes to win back the majority he lost in the lower house after winning a second term in 2022 legislative elections. But some fear the anti-immigration RN could instead win, forcing Macron to work in an uncomfortable coalition with a far-right prime minister.

RN vice-president Sebastien Chenu on Monday said the party’s 28-year-old leader Jordan Bardella would be its contender for the post. His mentor Marine Le Pen, who was runner-up in the last two presidential elections, has remained party leader in parliament and is largely expected to run again in 2027.

The far right scored big in France, Italy and Austria, and also came second in Germany and the Netherlands. The Kremlin, which hopes the far-right would have a softer line on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, said it was “attentively observing” the gains.

“While pro-Europeans so far retain their leadership positions, in time, based on what we see, the right-wing parties will be treading on their heels,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

ALSO READ-Macron Announces Snap Elections Post Far-Right Win

Categories
-Top News EU News Europe

Macron Announces Snap Elections Post Far-Right Win

The National Rally in France is set to beat Macron’s Renaissance by a wide margin in the country’s European Parliament elections, according to broadcasters’ projections after voting had ended…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he will dissolve the Parliament and hold snap elections, following his party’s clear defeat by the far-right National Rally in European Parliament elections earlier in the day. Elections to the National Assembly are to take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, Macron added. He said the challenges faced by France required clarity and the people deserved respect. “At the end of this day, therefore, I cannot pretend that nothing has happened,” he added. “The decision is serious and difficult, but it is above all an act of trust, trust in you, my dear compatriots,” the President said, adding that he trusted the French people to make the best decisions in their interest and that of future generations. The National Rally in France is set to beat Macron’s Renaissance by a wide margin in the country’s European Parliament elections, according to broadcasters’ projections after voting had ended.

The populist, eurosceptic National Rally party, whose figurehead is Marine Le Pen, received 31.5 to 32.3 per cent of the vote, while Macron’s pro-European camp only received around 15.2 to 15.4 per cent, broadcasters France 2 and TF1 reported on Sunday after the polls concluded. “Emmanuel Macron is a weakened President tonight,” National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said earlier on Sunday evening, calling for new elections. “This unprecedented defeat for the ruling power marks the end of a cycle and the first day of the post-Macron era,” he added. The Socialists came third with 14 to 14.2 per cent, just behind Macron’s centrist bloc, according to the projections. The extreme right-wing Reconquete (Reconquest) party was at 5.3 to 5.5 per cent. Voter turnout was higher than five years ago at around 52 per cent. Sunday’s voting also sets the scene for presidential elections in 2027. Macron, who won a run-off election against Le Pen twice, will not be able to run again after two terms in office.

It is unclear who the centre-right forces will send into the race and who will stand a chance against Le Pen. Sunday’s results are a huge blow to Macron’s government, which has already lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly, France’s lower House of Parliament. National Rally’s landslide victory entrenches a trend that already emerged in 2019 when the party came narrowly ahead of Macron’s camp in the last European elections. Marine Le Pen, the daughter of the movement’s far-right founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, has successfully rebranded the party initially known as the National Front, presenting a far more moderate image in recent years to increase its appeal to centre-right voters.

Elections to the European Parliament have taken place across the 27-country bloc over the past four days, with nearly 360 million people called upon to vote. While the vote does not directly impact national politics, as it only determines who sits in the EU legislature, domestic political issues tend to dominate voters’ choices.

ALSO READ-Biden, Macron express different views on Gaza war