Le Pen Party Victory Leads Macron To Call Snap Elex in France

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday announced a dissolution of France’s National Assembly and called a snap election, in the wake of exit poll results showing his party trailing the far-right opposition led by Marine Le Pen by a wide margin.

Le Pen’s nationalist and anti-migration National Rally is expected to come in first by a wide margin in Sunday’s European Parliament election, something the centrist Macron said is “not a good result for parties who defend Europe”.

Initial forecasts give Le Pen’s party around 33%, which would mean 31 seats in the new European Parliament plenum- more than double what Macron’s liberals are set to pick, approximately 15%.

In a nationally televised address, Macron said the first round of elections for the lower house national assembly will take place on 30 June, with the second round on July 7.

A beaming Le Pen later appeared on television and welcomed the snap election, calling Sunday’s result  “historic”.

Speaking from the Elysee Palace said he could not “pretend nothing had happened” and admitted the day’s election result was “no good” for his government.

“I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote. “I am, therefore, dissolving the National Assembly… France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony. To be French, at heart, it is about choosing to write history, not be driven by it,” he added.