PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he would “stay in office until May 2027”, the end of his second term, regardless of who wins the snap parliamentary elections he called.
“The arriving government, which will essentially reflect your vote, will I hope look like the various republicans who will have shown the courage to oppose the extremes,” Macron added in an open letter published in French media.
Polls suggest that the far-right National Rally will come out on upper of the snap vote whose first round is set for June 30. Marine Le Pen, the party’s figurehead, has said president’s resignation could be the only solution to avoid a hung parliament for the remaining three years of his term.
Marcon surprised the country by dissolving parliament after the far right trounced his centrist party in EU Parliament polls earlier this month.
“People can trust me to stay in office until May 2027 as your president, guard at every moment of our republic, our values, respectful of pluralism and your choices, at your service and that of the people,” Macron said in the letter.
Marcon asserted that the coming vote, with a second round on July 7, was “neither a presidential polls, nor a vote of confidence in the president of the republic” but an answer to “a single question: who should rule France?”
According to opinion polls the RN is set to achieve its best-ever score in the legislative vote, potentially giving it a shot at naming a prime minister, most likely its telegenic young party chief Jordan Bardella.
French President acknowledged that his decision to call the snap polls had generated for some voters “anger that has turned against me.
“The goal cannot be to just continue as things were. I have gotten that you want transformation,” he added, noting in particular his government’s “much stronger and firmer action ” on “insecurity and impunity”.
