We are now closing this blog but you can read our report on the day’s tumultuous political developments in France here.
Summary of the day
Emmanuel Macron has said he is “out to win” the snap legislative election he called after his allies’ crushing defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) in the European elections.
The National Rally’s Jordan Bardella argued in a television interview that his party is ready to govern.
The leader of France’s mainstream right, Éric Ciotti, said he would back an alliance with the far right in the snap legislative elections, shocking opponents and party members and throwing French politics into further disarray.
Talks between the National Rally and the far-right Reconquête’s Marion Maréchal did not lead to an agreement.
European parliament leaders meeting in Brussels discussed the election results and next steps in electing a European Commission president. But they did not set a date for the election of the new European commission president, although it is widely expected that Ursula von der Leyen will be put to the vote on 18 July, the first week of the new parliament.
The four parties negotiating to form a coalition government in the Netherlands reached agreement on a new team of cabinet ministers, far-right leader Geert Wilders said.
A date has been selected for Austria’s national election: September 29.
Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, has downplayed the controversies surrounding the party’s lead candidate in the European election and insisted that the AfD is now more powerful than Germany’s chancellor.
Around one in two voters took part in the European elections last week, with the latest data showing turnout almost static. According to figures released by the European parliament on Tuesday, the 2024 turnout was 50.93%, a tiny improvement on the 50.66% reported in 2019.
