Macron's High-Stakes Gamble with Sudden Election Call
President Macron's announcement came as a surprise, despite defeat in European elections President Emmanuel Macron has announced an unexpected call for parliamentary elections later this month, reacting swiftly to the significant success of Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the recent European Parliament elections. The far-right party is projected to secure 32% of the vote, more than double that of Macron's Renaissance party, according to exit polls. In a dramatic turn of events, Macron declared the dissolution of the French parliament and scheduled the two rounds of elections for June 30 and July 7, just weeks ahead of the Paris Olympics. He made this surprising announcement in a televised speech from the Élysée Palace, shortly after the European election results were revealed. This bold move came in response to National Rally's 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella, who had earlier urged Macron to hold parliamentary elections. "I have liste