French election: What is Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party and could it take control?
Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that he intended to dissolve parliament and call for a snap parliamentary election came as a shock on Sunday night.
The French president, who was been in power since 2017, said it was time for the country to have its say after his centrist Renaissance party suffered a calamitous result in the EU election.
What’s happened?
Mr Macron has called for a snap election to take place from later this month after being trounced in European Parliament elections by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.
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National Rally won about 32% of the vote in France – about twice as much as Mr Macron’s pro-European party that is projected to reach around 15%.
“I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote,” the president said while addressing France from the Elysee Palace.
“I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly.”
He went on: “I have heard your message, your concerns, and I will not leave them unanswered.
“France needs a clear majority in order to act with serenity and harmony.”
The vote will take place in two rounds on 30 June, less than a month before the start of the Paris Olympics, and 7 July.
What is National Rally?
National Rally, (Rassemblement National or RN) is a nationalist and populist right-wing party, which has benefited from the rise of the right across Europe.
Until 2018, it was known as the National Front but, in a bid to improve its image, it rebranded as Ms Le Pen worked to try and soften the party’s image and shake off long-standing accusations of racism and antisemitism.
Founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen, Ms Le Pen’s father, today the party is led by Jordan Bardella, a 28-year-old who has been fast-tracked to political leadership.
They are the single biggest opposition party with 88 MPs and are hoping to appeal to what they say are the people of France’s main concerns – immigration, the cost of living and crime.
National Rally takes a hard line on immigration, wanting to drastically curb it, and although it no longer wants to leave the EU, it has said it would reform it.
Despite moderating its tone in recent years, National Rally is still considered a far-right party whose ascent to power would change Europe noticeably.
How has National Rally reacted?
Ms Le Pen, who was widely seen as the frontrunner for the 2027 election in which Mr Macron is unable to stand, welcomed his decision.
“We are ready to take power if the French people have confidence in us in these forthcoming legislative elections,” she said.
“We are ready to put the country back on its feet.”
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RN’s lead candidate for the EU election and Ms Le Pen’s protege, Mr Bardella, may only be 28, but he immediately took on a presidential air with his victory speech in Paris.
Mr Bardella, who is also the party’s president, addressed his “Dear compatriots” and went on to say: “The French people have given their verdict, and it’s final.”
Will the parliamentary election affect the presidency?
Mr Macron is taking a big risk with the snap vote since his party could suffer more losses, hobbling the rest of his presidential term which comes to an end in 2027.
If his party ends up losing, Mr Macron, who in the last recorded week had a mere 21% approval rating, according to Morning Consult, may be forced into “cohabitation”.
This is a term used in France to refer to a president having to stand alongside a prime minister from an opposing party.
This happened to right-wing president Jacques Chirac in 1997, when he called a snap election only for the left to win.
If RN wins a majority, Mr Macron would still remain as president and direct defence and foreign policy.
But he would lose the power to set the domestic agenda, from economic policy to security.
His Renaissance party currently has 169 lower house lawmakers out of a total of 577. The RN has 88.
Eurasia Group said the RN was not a shoo-in for a majority, predicting a hung parliament as the most likely scenario.
What do the parties stand for?
Mr Macron has been advocating for Europe-wide efforts to defend Ukraine and the need for the EU to boost its own defence and industry.
Mr Bardella wants to limit the free movement of migrants by carrying out national border controls and dialling back EU climate rules.
The party no longer wants to leave the EU and the euro, but aims to weaken it from within.