"I am dissolving this evening the National Assembly. I will soon sign a decree to hold new parliamentary elections, the first round of which will be held on June 30 and the second on July 7," Macron said in a video address to the French.
Earlier, Jordan Bardella, head of the opposition party “National Rally”, which won the elections to the European Parliament in France, called Macron for early elections to the French parliament.
“We solemnly ask him to state this new political reality ... and organize new parliamentary elections,” Bardella said, speaking to supporters of his party after the preliminary results of the European Parliament elections in France emerged.
The "National Rally" was gaining 32%, according to polls, while Macron's "Renaissance party" was trailing second by a significant, nearly two-to-one, gap 15.4%.
"A wind of hope has risen over France this evening, and this is only the beginning", said Bardella, who opposed European supplies of missiles to Ukraine for strikes into Russian territory, noting the French rejected the policy pursued by Macron.
Marine Le Pen, the National Rally's former president and the current chairwoman of its parliamentary faction, welcomed Macron’s decision. She said, addressing the party supports, that the National Rally was ready to take power as a result of the upcoming snap parliamentary elections and ready to "put an end to this mass immigration, to make purchasing power a priority, ready to revive France."