France’s Macron defends decision on snap legislative elections, urges voters to defeat far-right

By SYLVIE CORBET and BARBARA SURK
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has defended his decision to call snap parlimentary elections after his party’s crushing defeat in the European parliamentary vote. Macron has a presidential mandate until 2027. He insisted he believes voters will ultimately choose the “progressive bloc” over the far-right. He has called for moderate politicians from the left and the right to regroup with his own centrist alliance to defeat the far-right. Macron addressed French voters for the first time since he called for a snap national election following a crushing defeat of his party by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen. He said “I don’t believe at all that the worst can happen … I’m an indefatigable optimist.”