French media assessed that President Emmanuel Macron, who dissolved the National Assembly on June 9th after the far-right party took the first place by a clear margin in the European Parliament elections, brought his own end with his decision to call early elections.
While the preliminary results of the first round of the French elections showed that the far-right National Unity (RN) party received the votes of one out of every three people, the French press touched upon the effects of Macron’s decision to dissolve the Parliament on his own mandate and the future of his party.
Challenges magazine’s “General elections 2024: The end of King Macron’s reign”, it was noted that Macron triggered his own downfall by dissolving the National Assembly.
In the article, it was stated that Macron’s former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, current Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin further accelerated Macron’s decline, and it was stated that “These general elections could sign the end of the Macronist reign.”
Le Monde newspaper announced that according to the preliminary results, the government fell behind its rivals on the far right and left in the first round of the election with the headline “The defeated Macron front is in third place”. In another article, the newspaper evaluated that the center-right Republicans (LR) party, which finished 4th in the first round of the election, lost power across the country.
French daily Le Figaro also published a report titled “General elections: Macron’s losing bet”, the French daily Le Figaro warned that Macron’s “bloc” in the center is facing the risk of extinction.
“Three weeks after the slap of the European (Parliament) elections, it is another night of defeat at the Elysee,” the article said.
The first round of the election is an “unprecedented success” for the far right
“Three weeks after Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, the first round of early general elections represents an unprecedented success for the far-right party and its allies,” the public broadcaster Franceinfo said in a report compiling the results of the first round.
“Not a single vote should go to the far right” comment by Attal
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who made an election assessment after the first round results, said that the far right is on the verge of power.
“Not a single vote should go to the RN,” Attal said, calling for “preventing the RN from gaining an absolute majority in the second round.”
Far-right opponents take to the streets on the night of the first round
Anti-far-right demonstrators gathered at the Place de la Republique, a symbolic point in the capital Paris.
The demonstrators, carrying Palestinian flags, chanted anti-RN slogans.
On the other hand, around 800 anti-fascists organized a demonstration in Lyon, the second largest city of the country.
Demonstrators damaged public property and set fire to garbage bins.
Security forces intervened with tear gas against the demonstrators on Republic Street.
Some masked protesters tried to enter the town hall in Lyon’s 1st district but failed.
