France thrown into chaos after 'new PM' refuses to be appointed without absolute majority

By Richard Ashmore, Senior News Reporter

The French elections will be two rounds of voting on June 30 and July 7 (Image: Getty )

The 28-year-old far-right politician viewed by many as France's 'Prime Minister-in-waiting' has caused consternation after saying he "will refuse to be appointed" unless his party has an absolute majority.

The French political landscape has been in flux in recent weeks after Emmanuel Macron announced a surprise election for the country's National Assembly, after the right-wing National Rally (NR) party's success in recent European Parliament elections.

The NR party scored an impressive 31.4 percent of the vote, compared to Mr Macron's own party which polled less than half that number.

In response to NR's leader Jordan Bardella openly calling for an election, Mr Macron announced he would call for the country to go to the polls on June 30 and July 7.

The move has been seen as surprising because Mr Macron did not constitutionally have to call for any vote until 2027. Together with the Senate, the National Assembly forms France's Parliament.

President Macron called shock National Assembly elections (Image: Getty )

In the outgoing National Assembly, Mr Macron's alliance of parties had 250 seats, whereas the NR had 88.

However, for an absolute majority one party, or group, needs to hold 289 seats.

However, recent polling, coupled with the results of the European elections, suggests the NR could secure over 200 seats in the upcoming election.

Mr Bardella has enjoyed a meteoric rise in French politics under the tutelage of veteran right-wing campaigner Marine Le Pen.

If elected Prime Minister he would become the youngest-ever Prime Minister of the country.

The sudden election frenzy has led to turmoil in France (Image: Getty )

On Wednesday, Mr Bardella backtracked on his party’s previous promise to pull out of NATO’s strategic military command.

At the Eurosatory arms show outside Paris in Villepinte that he “doesn’t plan to question the commitments France has made on the international stage”

If voters give his party a majority that enables him to lead a new government, it would be an awkward power-sharing arrangement with President Emmanuel Macron.

Referring to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mr Bardella said that, "France mustn’t leave NATO’s military command while we are at war, because it would considerably weaken France’s responsibility on the European scene and, obviously, its credibility with regard to its allies.”

The comments pulled back from a campaign promise made by his party in its manifesto for the 2022 French presidential election.

It stated: “The priority will be to leave the integrated NATO command" in a move that would have taken French military staff out of the NATO body that plans operations, and weakened France’s role and influence within NATO.