On Sunday, the French president called for “democratic and republican” forces to unite against Le Pen’s party.
“The high turnout … shows how important the vote was for our fellow citizens, and how they want to clarify the political situation.”.
It was an audacious move designed to stop the far right advance in its tracks by forcing French voters to choose a new parliament.
On the strength of the early projections so far, his gamble looks set to fail.
It looks likely that Macron will face a tough choice in many areas over whether to withdraw his candidates in an effort to defeat Le Pen’s party.
Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, a Macron ally, called on people to vote against National Rally and far-left France Unbowed candidates.
He called on the presidential camp’s voters to back left-wing candidates only from the Green, Socialist and Communist parties. »
