Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron's sudden decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for early legislative elections could have counterproductive effects and push the country towards chaos. 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 Parliament elections.
According to a report by the newspaper "Le Journal du Dimanche," Sarkozy stated that the potential chaos resulting from the assembly's dissolution might be difficult to escape from. Sarkozy, a conservative who led the country from 2007 to 2012, remains an important political figure. He remarked, "Giving the French people the opportunity to express themselves as a justification for dissolving the National Assembly is a strange argument because that is exactly what over 25 million French people did in the elections," referring to the European elections on June 9. Sarkozy has friendly relations with Macron.
Sarkozy added, "The risk of inciting more anger instead of calming the situation is significant." A poll conducted on Saturday appeared to support Sarkozy's concerns. The survey, carried out by "The Opinion Way" and "Vae 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, ahead of the People's Front, which comprises leftist parties, expected to garner 25%. Macron's centrist parties are projected to receive 20%.
Thousands marched in Paris and cities across France on Saturday to protest against the National Rally ahead of the upcoming elections.
