PARIS –
By calling early parliamentary elections after his party’s defeat in the European Parliament vote in June, French President Emmanuel Macron hoped to “clarify” the political situation for his own good. He has clearly failed.
The election did not produce a parliamentary majority, only much more confusion. With many losers and very few winners, it is the most astonishing election in the country’s modern history.
Among the many losers is the Rassemblement National, the far-right party that won a decisive and shocking victory in the European elections a few weeks earlier. Although the party increased its number of seats and became the largest in the National Assembly, it fell far short of expectations.
