The decision of French president Emmanuel Macron to call for snap elections on 30 June and 7 July took everyone by surprise and exposed the weaknesses of his political brand. From far-right Rassemblement National’s lead in the polls, to the collapse of the country’s mainstream right party Les Republicains and unexpected unity of the usually fractious left - these legislative elections could mark a historic turn in French politics. 

In this episode we make sense of the political quagmire that Macron’s call has sent the French political system into, and chronicle the different episodes of this unfolding psychodrama. To help us make sense of Macron’s move and its consequences, we talked with Marta Lorimer, a lecturer in politics at Cardiff University.

Meanwhile in Europe is a weekly podcast from The European Correspondent, hosted and produced by Vlad Iavita and Charles Cohen. The podcast aims to break down complex European stories and make sense of where our continent is headed next.

Executive production by Viktorya Muradyan and Julius E. O. Fintelmann.

The European Correspondent, established in 2022, is a community-funded digital media organisation dedicated to reporting the stories that have an impact across borders. With a network of more than 170 journalists and media makers spanning the continent, the fully remote newsdesk delivers a daily newsletter curated by local journalists from every European country.

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