The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has expressed her surprise at the decision to call a snap parliamentary election just weeks before the Olympic Games. French President Emmanuel Macron made the decision after the far-right National Rally won the European election in France. The election is set to take place on 30 June and 7 July, with the Games beginning in Paris on 26 July.
In the European elections, the National Rally received more than double the votes of Macron’s centrist alliance. Despite this, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen stated that “the centre is holding.” However, far-right parties saw gains in countries such as Italy, Austria, and Germany.
In other election news, an Italian under house arrest in Hungary and a 24-year-old YouTube prankster in Cyprus were elected as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The snap election announcement has taken many by surprise and added an extra layer of complexity to the political landscape just before the Olympic Games.