NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron has called snap parliamentary elections later this month in the wake of a big victory for his rival Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the European Parliament vote. 

Exit polls indicate, the far-right party is on course to win 32% of the vote, more than twice that of the president Macron’s Renaissance party. 
Announcing the dissolution of Parliament, he said the two rounds of voting would take place on 30th of June and 7th of July. 

Macron made the dramatic and surprise decision in a televised address from the Élysée Palace an hour after voting closed and exit poll results were declared in France’s EU elections. 

His decision came after National Rally’s 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella, openly called on the president to call parliamentary elections. 
Though this European vote in theory has no bearing on national politics, Macron clearly decided that continuing his mandate without a new popular consultation would place too much of a strain on the system.

Macron warned Thursday that the EU risked being "blocked" by a big far-right presence in the European Parliament after this week's elections.

The election results also mark a critical moment as eyes turn to France's 2027 presidential vote where Macron cannot stand again and RN figurehead Marine Le Pen fancies she has her best-ever chance of winning the Elysee Palace.