French snap elections blog: Emmanuel Macron claims 'extremes' could lead 'to civil war'
As the campaign for the snap legislative election enters its final week, President Emmanuel Macron has been increasing his public interventions despite warnings from his allies and his fall in popularity.
On Monday, the French leader said the programmes of the “extremes” could lead “to civil war."
His plea came a day before the 28-year-old leader of the far-right National Rally, Jordan Bardella, unveiled a more detailed plan of his proposals if his party were to win.
You can get all the latest news and expert analysis on the French parliamentary elections here.
Before we start, here is some key information to get you up to date:
The French are going to the polls on 30 June and 7 July, when m
ore than 49,5 million registered voters will choose 577 MPs to represent them in the National Assembly.
The goal for any party is to achieve at least 289 seats in parliament to have an absolute majority and thus be able to conduct its programme without having to negotiate with other parties.
The latest polls predict the far-right National Rally and its allies will likely win the most seats but might not have the absolute majority needed to form a government.
Another outcome could be that the far right obtains an absolute majority, which will force Marcon to name a prime minister from their ranks leading to what the French call a period of “cohabitation” — here’s our explainer on how that would work and other possible outcomes.
Although the French government system may seem like a presidential one, most of the power resides with the parliament, which calls the shots.
A far-right and eurosceptic government could mean trouble for the EU and its institutions.
Stick with Euronews as we keep updating you daily on the big election stories here in France.
