French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the decision to call a snap parliamentary election just weeks before the Olympic Games. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, expressed her surprise at this decision, which was made after the far-right National Rally won the European election in France.
The European elections saw the National Rally receive more than double the votes of Macron’s centrist alliance. Despite this, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission chief, stated that “the centre is holding.” However, far-right parties also saw gains in other countries such as Italy, Austria, and Germany.
In addition to this news, an Italian under house arrest in Hungary and a 24-year-old YouTube prankster in Cyprus were elected as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The announcement of a snap election has added an extra layer of complexity to the political landscape just before the Olympic Games.
