French President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the lower house of parliament and announced fresh elections after his party’s poor performance in the EU elections. His party was defeated by the far-right National Rally.
French President Emanuel Macron announced Sunday he was dissolving the National Assembly and calling a snap election after his centrist alliance was trounced by the far-right National Rally in the European Parliament elections.
According to the first exit polls, the National Rally won around 32%, more than double Macron’s pro-EU coalition, which received 15% of the vote.
The first round of France’s parliamentary election will be held on June 30 and a second round is scheduled for July 7.
Exit polls on Sunday have shown the far-right making substantial gains in other member states in the European Parliament election, including in Germany and Austria.
But… Why? Why is it “the president’s” legislature?
France is just an odder case than most parliamentary systems. In short, this places the heads of government closer to the will of the people and requires more coalition building when there isn’t a clear consensus for policy from the electorate.
Most parliamentary systems also allow snap elections - there is usually a maximum length allowed before the next election but the PM can always call one earlier.
This has happened pretty frequently up here in Canada and Trudeau will time elections after good news if the LPC polling particularly strongly.
I think this is an overall good thing, it means that as long as a party is delivering success about once every four years it can remain in power - while allowing it to do the unpopular but necessary things in the interim. A hated party can’t survive in power, but a party that invests in the long term can thrive… it does have a dark side though. The party in power may engage in frivolous bullshit before the election (like unproductive handouts) to try and sway public opinion. It’s up to the public to see through short term bullshit and judge a party more long-term.
It doesn’t belong to the president, no. Think of it as Macron basically asking the French people if this (the anti-EU coalition that did so well in the election) is what they want as a whole. Because if so, their parliament is not properly representing their views.
It seems weird as an american for anyone in the executive branch to have the power to dissolve the legislative, even if (and I assume there are) requirements for an election in X amount of time, can’t do it too often, etc.
Here in the US Congress isn’t just lawmakers, they do investigations, have committees, etc. and act as a check on executive power. It would be weird if the US president would be able to just dissolve Congress
Interesting viewpoint. As a fellow American, I think that that kind of power would actually give POTUS the amount of power that the public seems to think they have. It’s really the only way the federal government has to hold a Swiss-style referendum on a topic.
I think the check there is “Why have you done this twice in 6 months? Parliament/Congress/Legislature, please impeach this clown.”
Most legislatures around the world do the same things? I’m not sure why you think the French government is so different, especially given how much French culture/politics/philosophy influenced the Founding Farmers.
“Hey let’s impeach this idiot”
“Hey sorry we gotta focus on reelection because aformentoned idiot said so”
I think you forget that America has created possibly the dumbest election cycle known to man. I imagine it’s not nearly as drawn out in France, especially for a snap election like this.
Also, an impeachment would 100% override the dissolution. That happens in America, too, before you mention it; when an impeachment vote is called pretty much everything else comes to a standstill.
That’s a product of the population not the constitution. And no I did not forget lol.