It's a little after 7pm, on Sunday, June 9, when Emmanuel Macron shares, from the Élysée Palace, his audacious decision with a handful of executives from his party. In an unexpected turn of events, the president has decided to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, and the former president of the Assemblée Nationale Richard Ferrand, who are all there, know that it's pointless to discuss. The presidential decision has been made, and it is irrevocable.
Horizons party leader (and former prime minister) Edouard Philippe and MoDem leader François Bayrou (center) were invited but were unable to make it to the Élysée Palace, although they were informed by telephone. Assemblée Nationale President Yaël Braun-Pivet, who could lose her position, was stunned. She asked for a one-to-one meeting with the president, which she was granted.
It's a leap into the unknown. The first exit polls confirm the landslide victory of the Rassemblement National (RN, far right) list in the European elections and the stinging loss inflicted on the presidential camp. The far-right party won 31.5% of the vote. The historic score is more than double that obtained by the Macronist lead candidate, Valérie Hayer (14.6 %). A cruel rejection, which is consistent with the opinion surveys released in recent weeks.
On television, opponents on both left and right tell the story of a twilight power, powerless and unloved. "Macronie is over. [Emmanuel Macron] won't survive it," said Eric Ciotti, president of the Les Républicains (LR) party, on TF1 TV channel, when, suddenly, a presidential address that "may come as a surprise" was announced.
In a brief address, Emmanuel Macron admitted his bitter failure. "I couldn't, at the end of the day, act as if nothing had happened," he said, announcing his "serious" and "heavy" decision to call new legislative elections, on June 30 for the first round and July 7 for the second. "Above all, it's an act of trust. Trust in you, my dear compatriots, in the ability of the French people to make the fairest choice for themselves and for future generations," said the president in his address, talking about "a fever that has taken hold of public and parliamentary debate in recent years".
"The president's back in control, because otherwise he would have been subjected to this situation. It was going to be a mess, like under François Hollande. Now he's taking action. It's the end of Marine Le Pen," exclaimed Macronist senator François Patriat, who praised "a Gaullian choice". At campaign headquarters across the country, the reaction was one of astonishment. On the left, Raphaël Glucksmann said he was "flabbergasted" and angry at the "dangerous game" Macron was playing with the RN. The small victory of the Parti Socialiste-backed candidate – who came third with 13.8% % of the vote – was overshadowed by the thunderclap just unleashed by the president. The MEP was furious and criticized the president for "complying with Jordan Bardella's demands". The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party had been calling for a dissolution for weeks and did so again moments before the president's speech. "We are ready to be in power if the French people trust us," declared Marine Le Pen following the announcement.
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