Why Emmanuel Macron went all in against Marine Le Pen
European elections in France have also long been seen by voters as protest votes against the incumbent president. So why is the French leader risking everything with his snap poll?
Emmanuel Macron has an oft-repeated catchphrase he uses behind closed doors with ministers and advisers: Il faut prendre son risque; you must be willing to take risks.
The president of France has done that in spades by calling for snap elections after his centrist alliance took a drubbing on Sunday from Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National in European parliamentary elections. In doing so, he has again shown the daring that has marked his political career since he was elected as a little-experienced outsider in 2017.
