To Americans who complain that their election campaigns drag on for far too long, welcome to France where it is indeed a sprint, not a marathon.
 

Here, politicians have 12 short days to convince in snap legislative elections that could redraw France – and Europe's – political landscape. Hard to believe it's only been a week since a far-right surge in European elections sparked Emmanuel Macron's shock decision to dissolve parliament. 

With the country split in three between a hastily concluded alliance of the left, the centre-right under Macron, and Marine Le Pen's National Rally, we ask which way the pendulum is about to swing and whether calls for a "Republican front" against the far right still resonate, even when they come from stars of the national football squad.

France's president has been roundly criticised for taking too great a leap into the unknown with his "clear the air" strategy of sending citizens back to the polls. The question now is whether voters, too, are willing to take a gamble and flirt with a rollback of the French republic's universal values.

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Juliette Brown.