First came the exit polls. Then, less than an hour later: a second shock. On the heels of the French far right’s record score in European elections, President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament and called surprise snap elections.
Since losing his outright majority in parliament after his re-election as president in 2022, Macron had muddled through with a mixture of compromises and executive decrees. Now, suddenly, comes a lightning-fast three-week campaign before a June 30 first round of voting. Just how risky a gamble is this?
