Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that President Emmanuel Macron's sudden decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for early elections could have negative repercussions and push the country towards chaos. A report in "Le Dimanche" stated that Sarkozy said the potential chaos stemming from the assembly's dissolution might be difficult to escape.
Sarkozy remarked, "Giving the French people the opportunity to express themselves as a justification for dissolving the National Assembly is a strange argument since this is exactly what more than 25 million French citizens did in the elections," referring to the European elections on June 9. He added, "The risk is significant in inciting more anger instead of calming things down."
Macron called for early elections in two rounds on June 30 and July 7 after his centrist coalition lost to the far-right National Rally party in last Sunday's European parliamentary elections. A poll conducted by the firms "The Opinion Way" and "Faye Solis" for the newspaper "Les Échos" and Radio Classique predicted that the National Rally would lead the first round of parliamentary elections with 33% of the votes, followed by the People's Front, which encompasses leftist parties, at 25%. Macron's centrist parties are projected to receive 20 percent.
Thousands marched in Paris and cities across France on Saturday to protest against the National Rally ahead of the upcoming elections.
