French President Macron defends decision to call snap election, urges voters to defeat the far-right

By SYLVIE CORBET and BARBARA SURK
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has defended his decision to call snap elections after his party’s crushing defeat in the European parliamentary vote. He insisted he believes voters will ultimately choose the “progressive bloc” over the far-right. He has called for moderate politicians from the left and the right to regroup with his own centrist alliance to defeat the far-right. Macron addressed French voters for the first time since he called for a snap national election following a crushing defeat of his party by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen. He said “I don’t believe at all that the worst can happen … I’m an indefatigable optimist.”