EU elections 2024 : French vote will be most important in decades, says minister amid far-right surge

French parliamentary election will be most consequential in the history of the Fifth Republic, minister says

France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, has said that the parliamentary election will be the most consequential in the history of the Fifth Republic (a system of government in France from 1958).

“This will be the most consequential parliamentary election for France and for the French in the history of the Fifth Republic,” he told RTL radio.

“We must fight for France and for the French. We have three weeks to campaign and convince the French,” he said in a post on X

The legislative vote will take place on 30 June, less than a month before the start of the Paris Olympics, with a second round on 7 July. The result is hard to predict.

The outcome will probably depend on how committed leftist and centre-right voters are to the idea of blocking the far-right from power.

Analysts said Emmanuel Macron’s decision (see post at 05.48) aimed to make the best of his weak position, reclaiming the initiative and forcing Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) into election mode faster than it would have liked.

The Paris stock market fell sharply on Monday after Emmanuel Macron’s surprise decision to call snap parliamentary elections.

The Paris CAC 40, which tracks the market’s 40 most significant stocks, fell 2.4% when it opened, while elsewhere in Europe the Frankfurt DAX and the pan-European Stoxx 600 both fell 0.7%, BBC News reports.

Ursula von der Leyen’s quest for a second term starts today with a trip to Berlin to the CDU party. A press conference is expected at 1pm (CET).

As her European People’s Party gets to work to get a majority of MEPs on board, a series of international leaders summits in the next few weeks will also be critical to get all member states.

She was expecting early endorsement from leaders at a leaders summit on 27 and 28 June in Brussels.

But she may not get public support for Emmanuel Macron ahead of the general election in France on 30 June as he may want to starve Marine Le Pen of any ammunition for her own narrative.

Key dates to follow:

• 13 and 14 June – G7, Italy
• 15 June – Ukraine peace conference, Switzerland. 80 countries expected to attend, with the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, possibly being among the representatives.
• 27-28 June – European Council, Brussels
• 30 June – first round of French parliamentary elections
• 7 July – second round of French parliamentary elections
• 9-10 July – Nato 75th anniversary, Washington
• 18 July – first plenary of new European parliament, Strasbourg
• 18 July – European Political Community, Blenheim Palace, UK. The brainchild of Macron, this is the fourth meeting of 46 EU and non EU leaders at an informal setting. Previous meetings were held in Prague, Moldova and Granada in Spain.