Macron’s dissolving of parliament after the French far right’s victory in European parliamentary elections has swiftly redrawn the lines of French politics. On Saturday, police estimated that a quarter of a million people protested across France against the prospect of the far right coming to power. But the latest polls still put the far right comfortably in the lead. “An exceptional decision for an exceptional situation,” Hollande told reporters in the department’s main town of Tulle, explaining his surprise comeback. Officially, the Socialist Party reacted coolly to the move, the head of its election commission Pierre Jouvet simply saying that it “takes note” of the candidacy.
