The French press headlines and media comments highlight the disastrous failure of French President Emmanuel Macron, whose decision to call early elections backfired, resulting in a victory for Marine Le Pen‘s party, National Rally, in the first round.

According to the French television network BFMTV, the French daily press is analyzing the aftermath, especially emphasizing the call for a “republican front.”

Le Figaro

The French newspaper Le Figaro highlights the duel between Mélenchon and Bardella on its front page, with a main article titled “French Tragedy.” Commenting on the outcome of yesterday’s first-round vote, historians describe the elections with one word: “Disaster!”

“Macron wanted to unite the centrist party, divide the left, and isolate the far-right ‘National Rally.’ All his calculations proved false,” notes the contentious article.

The newspapers “L’Humanité” and “Libération” call for a “united front” following the “shock” of the first round of the elections.

Libération

The newspaper Libération speaks of “shock,” calling for the formation of a bloc to halt the “far-right’s victory” in the second round of elections on July 7.

Le Monde

The French newspaper Le Monde refers to a “republican front” following the result of yesterday’s first round of the legislative elections.

National Rally (RN) received around 12 million votes – nearly three times the 4.2 million votes it garnered in the last parliamentary elections in 2022.

A few hours after the polls closed in France, journalists are talking about Emmanuel Macron’s “failed gamble” following his decision to dissolve the National Assembly, as he was defeated and now finds himself in third place, according to the report.

20 minutes

French newspaper “20 minutes” describes Emmanuel Macron as the “biggest loser of the first round,” while mentioning “division” in the camp of the centrist French president.

Aujourd’hui

“Far-right on the brink of power,” writes the newspaper Aujourd’hui, while “Parisien” focuses on Emmanuel Macron’s “boomerang,” referring to his initiative to dissolve the National Assembly and lead the country to early elections. His centrist party found itself in third place with 20.7%.

France 24

Similarly, the French network France 24 comments that Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, as expected, is now the largest political force in France after a historically high performance in the first round of elections (33.1%).

La Voix du Nord

“Emmanuel Macron placed a bet. He lost. Even worse, it’s a disaster for his camp,” points out Stephanie Zorn in the local newspaper La Voix du Nord.