France's political leaders are scrambling to prepare for snap elections after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament in response to gains made by the far-right in European Parliament elections.
Mabel Berezin, professor of sociology at Cornell University and an expert on international populism, says Macron’s decision was a “political mistake” that could hand control of France’s government to Marine Le Pen’s right-Wing National Rally (RN) party.
Berezin says: "Instead of sitting it out until the 2027 Presidential election, Macron’s decision may have fast tracked the right in the National Assembly and made a successful 2027 RN bid more likely.
“The RN could win the majority of votes required to form a government. It was well-known that Marine Le Pen’s right-wing RN would come in first as it has been polling steadily in the range of 29-30 percent for the last six months or so.
“On the European level, the timing of the first round of the French elections, three days before the President of the European Commission is decided, leaves a political space of ambiguity and confusion. As the Presidential negotiation depends upon who the national players are, the timing of the French election poses a major obstacle."
