Victory of the National Rally, dissolution of the Assembly… What to remember from the results of the 2024 European elections in France

The RN list led by Jordan Bardella was well ahead of the presidential majority and the left-wing parties. Emmanuel Macron created a surprise by announcing new legislative elections.

The European vote caused an earthquake. French voters voted to elect their representatives in Brussels during the European elections on Sunday June 9.

The National Rally came in well ahead of the presidential majority, according to our Ipsos estimate, prompting Emmanuel Macron to pronounce the dissolution of the National Assembly. Franceinfo summarizes what you need to remember from these Europeans.

The RN largely in the lead and “ready to exercise power”

The polls had announced it: the National Rally list is the one which obtained the most votes in France during this European election, by far. The list led by Jordan Bardella collected nearly 31.5% of the votes according to our Ipsos estimate.

A few minutes after the announcement of the first estimates, Jordan Bardella asked Emmanuel Macron “new legislative elections”a request made for several weeks in anticipation of a victory for the RN. “The unprecedented gap between the presidential majority and the first opposition party reflects a scathing disavowal and a clear rejection of the policy led by Emmanuel Macron and his government”said the president of the National Rally in a speech.

“We are ready to exercise power if the French trust us”then declared Marine Le Pen after the announcement of the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament by Emmanuel Macron. “I can only welcome this decision which is in line with the logic of the institutions of the Fifth Republic”declared the leader of the RN deputies.

Emmanuel Macron announces the dissolution of the Assembly

This European election has major repercussions at the national level. Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, during a speech broadcast an hour after the announcement of the estimated results.

“I heard your message (…) and I will not leave them without a response”declared the President of the Republic, after the list of the presidential majority led by Valérie Hayer did not exceed 14.7% of the votes. “I therefore cannot, at the end of this day, act as if nothing had happened”added Emmanuel Macron, who specifies that the two rounds of the upcoming legislative elections will be held on June 30 and July 7.

The announcement provoked various reactions, with some officials seeing it as “Only solution” or a marker “the scathing rout of macronism”when others denounced “an extremely dangerous game with democracy and institutions”.

The socialists and the rebels are progressing, the ecologists are collapsing

On the left, only one list made it onto the podium. The PS-Place publique list led by Raphaël Glucksmann obtained 14% of the votes, and thus finished in third position in France. The candidate said “proud” of his score, but declared that he did not “not in the mood for the party” after the high score of the National Rally, which he promised to “combat”.

La France insoumise, for its part, performed slightly better than in 2019: the list led by Manon Aubry collected around 10.1% of the votes, according to our Ipsos estimate. The head of the list saw in these results proof of the “defeat and the scathing rout of macronism”but hammered home that “the page of the Macron era (…) must not turn with the National Rally”.

The environmentalists, on the other hand, are plummeting compared to their 2019 score. The list led by Marie Toussaint only collected 5.5% of the votes, a score which only allows it to send five MEPs to Brussels, while the environmentalist group in the European Parliament had 12 French elected officials. The head of the list conceded a “defeat (…) dry” And “bitter” and claims to have “underestimated the strength of lobbies and the cultural battle which is constantly waged against us and the living”.