French President Emmanuel Macron has called on moderate politicians to unite against extreme right and left factions.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday, he urged “our compatriots and political leaders who do not identify with the extremist frenzy” to come together. This call comes as he faces a challenge from the far-right in upcoming snap elections on June 30 and July 7.

Macron was addressing the public for the first time since Sunday, following the disappointing performance of his centrist Renaissance party in the European Union elections, which led him to announce a sudden dissolution of parliament and call for national elections.

During Wednesday’s press meeting, he urged “men and women of goodwill who have previously opposed extremes to unite and develop a shared vision” to best serve France.

French voters delivered a significant blow to the president in the recent European Parliament elections. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally garnered more than twice the votes of Macron’s party, which came in second, followed by the centre-left.

Betrayal

Macron’s appeal for democratic unity came after Eric Ciotti, leader of the conservative Republican Party, announced plans to ally with Le Pen.

Despite internal differences, left-wing parties are also mobilizing. On Monday, the Greens, Socialists, Communists, and far-left France Unbowed formed an alliance.

On Wednesday, Macron accused Ciotti of making “a pact with the devil” and critiqued alliances on both the right and left.

“We have inappropriate alliances at both ends of the spectrum that agree on nothing except job sharing and will be ineffective in implementing any agenda,” the president said.

He called on the “centrist, progressive, democratic and republican” factions to stand together against these alliances, either before or after the elections.

Meanwhile, Ciotti has faced significant backlash from within the Republican Party for “betraying” its principles.

Staying on

On Tuesday, Macron, who still has three years left in his term, ruled out resigning “regardless of the election outcome,” citing the French Constitution that supports his presidency.

He reaffirmed this stance at the news conference, stating that resignation “was never an option.”

Additionally, Macron announced the suspension of planned electoral reforms in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory.

The South Pacific archipelago has experienced turmoil due to the reform plans, resulting in multiple fatalities and French troop deployments to maintain order.