The French leader criticizes the “unnatural alliances” between the left and right and calls for unity among democratic forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on moderate politicians to unite against extremism.
The French leader said on Wednesday that he wants “our compatriots and political leaders who do not recognize themselves in the extremist fever” to unite. He made the decision in the face of a challenge from the far right in early elections on June 30 and July 7.
Macron was speaking for the first time since Sunday, when his centrist Renaissance party’s poor performance in European Union elections led him to announce a surprise dissolution of parliament and national elections.
During Wednesday’s press conference, he called on “men and women of good will who were able to say ‘no’ to extremes to come together to be able to build a joint project” to better serve France.
Voters in France dealt the president a heavy blow in last week’s European Parliament elections. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally secured more than double the votes won by the president’s party, which finished second behind the center-left.
Betrayal
The president’s call for unity among democratic forces followed the announcement by Eric Ciotti, leader of the conservative Republican Party, of plans to form an alliance with Le Pen.
Left-wing parties are also mobilizing, despite the divisions. The Greens, Socialists, Communists and far-left Unsubmissive France agreed on Monday to form an alliance.
Macron said on Wednesday that Ciotti made “a pact with the devil” and criticized alliances on both the left and right.
“We have unnatural alliances on both extremes that do not agree on anything except the jobs to be shared and that will not be able to implement any program,” the president said.
He called on the “centrist, progressive, democratic and republican” bloc to unite and combat these alliances, before or after the elections.
Ciotti, however, has faced a storm of criticism from within the Republican Party for “betrayal” of his legacy.
Staying
On Tuesday, Macron, who still has three years in office, ruled out resigning “whatever the outcome” of early elections, saying the French constitution supports his position as president.
He reiterated that position during the press conference, saying the prospect of his resignation “never existed.”
Macron also announced that France has suspended planned electoral reform in its overseas territory of New Caledonia.
The South Pacific archipelago has seen significant unrest around the plan in recent weeks, which has killed several people and visa troops sent from France.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
