The French poll that PROVES Macron is taking major risk with snap election
In France, Le Pen's National Rally won more than double the votes of Macron's centrist alliance
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President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap national vote and dissolved parliament following the victory of his rival Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament elections.
Le Pen's hard-right party is on course to win 32 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls, some 17 points ahead of Macron's party.
Macron made the surprise announcement on Sunday evening saying the lower house elections would be called for June 30, with a second round vote on July 7.
On Monday, Macron said he was "confident" that the French public would "make the right choice" in the snap elections.
President Macron announced he is dissolving the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, and calls new general elections on June 30, in Paris on June 9, 2024GettyThe president said on X: "I am confident in the capacity of the French people to make the right choice for themselves and for future generations.
"My sole ambition is to be useful to our country that I love so much."
The upcoming parliamentary elections won't affect Macron's job directly because they are separate from the presidential elections and his term as president runs for three more years.
However, without a majority in the French parliament, getting any bill through the National Assembly is difficult.
in 2024, polls show Emmanuel Macron has a 64 per cent disapproval rating
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If the National Rally has the votes, Macron said that they should be given a chance to govern.
Le Pen, who has been defeated by Macron in two presidential elections, reacted to Macron's announcement by saying her party was "ready to exercise power, ready to put an end to mass immigration."
Calling the snap election is a risk for Macron as his popularity since the 2022 presidential election has dwindled below Le Pen.
According to an Ifop poll for Paris Match published last April, Le Pen is more popular than President Macron.
Marine Le Pen was more popular than Macron in a 2023 poll by Ifop
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When asked which of the two personalities they preferred, 47 per cent of those interviewed picked Le Pen and 42 per cent chose Macron.
Le Pen was also more popular amongst women, with 52 per cent picking Le Pen compared to 42 per cent of women who chose Macron.
A year after the 2022 presidential election in France, a separate poll carried out by Ifop also found that 76 per cent of adults surveyed did not have confidence in the president to improve the situation in the country.
Macron did little to improve his approval ratings from 2023 and remains an unpopular figure this year.
A poll by Politico, published in May 2024, found that 64 per cent of respondents disapprove of Macron while only 35 per cent approve of the French president.
Although the results may not be as sweeping as Sunday's European Parliament vote, the odds favour another victory for the National Rally to become the biggest party in parliament.