A week after Emmanuel Macron decided to call a snap parliamentary election, the upcoming vote has turned into one of the most crucial in post-war French history. At stake at the two-round election on June 30th and July 7th is the serious possibility of a government led by the hard-right or hard-left. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) is well ahead in the polls, followed by the New Popular Front, an alliance of left-wing parties. Either could mean extremist politics, economic populism and financial instability. Among Mr Macron’s allies, fears are growing of a rout. “He has thrown us under a bus,” says one minister.

On June 16th the deadline passed for parliamentary candidates to register. There has been intensifying drama, skulduggery and betrayal on both the left and the right, following the unexpected decision by Mr Macron, the president, on June 9th to dissolve the National Assembly. Three main political blocs have now emerged from the last-minute scramble by parties to select candidates for parliament. Under France’s constitution presidential and parliamentary elections take place at different moments. The upcoming vote concerns only the lower house of parliament; the upper house is not affected, and Mr Macron will remain president.