French President Emmanuel Macron will face journalists' questions on Tuesday, June 11, after calling risky snap elections that could result in a far-right surge in Parliament. The ballot has set alarm bells ringing across Europe, risking hobbling France, historically a key player in brokering compromise in Brussels and support for Ukraine against Russian invasion.
With just 19 days until the first round on June 30 – the shortest campaign since France's Fifth Republic was founded in 1958 – Macron's task to shore up support in the rare grilling from journalists is formidable, according to polls.
Macron called the snap polls after the far right crushed his centrist alliance in Sunday's EU ballot, in what analysts said is the French leader's bid to keep the RN out of power when his second term ends in 2027.
"It's the future of the French nation that's at stake in a few weeks," Macron's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told French broadcaster BFMTV Tuesday. "Either there's a clear majority, or we run the risk of a regime crisis," he added.
Le Pen was quick out of the gate with a TV interview late Monday, calling the vote a "historic chance for the nationalist camp to put France back on track." She said her policy priorities were "defending purchasing power and fighting insecurity and immigration."