Marine Le Pen's populist-nationalist party, RN, won twice as many votes as Emmanuel Macron's globalist centrists in the European Parliament election, leading Macron to dissolve the national parliament and call for fresh French elections.
Key Points
RN led by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella gained 31.5% of the votes, the best result for any French political party in 40 years
Macron's Renaissance party only secured 14.7% of the votes
Macron dissolved the national Parliament to call for fresh elections in response to RN's victory
Pros
RN's victory represents a significant shift in French politics
Le Pen's party is positioned to become the largest single party in the European Parliament
Cons
Macron's authority has been challenged by RN's success