"I hope that when the time comes, men and women of goodwill who have been able to say no to extremes will unite, put themselves in a position to build a common, sincere project that will be useful for France".
This was stated by the French President Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the upcoming early elections in France, reported AFP.
After Macron's Renaissance party suffered heavy defeats from the far-right in local elections, the president dissolved parliament and scheduled elections for June 30 and July 7.
"The answer, in my eyes, could not come through a change of government or a coalition... it was necessary to dissolve parliament," Macron said.
He admitted that constituents are finding it difficult to cope with daily needs and this has fueled their anger.
"People feel like they're not being heard or respected. We cannot remain indifferent to all these messages," added the French head of state.
He also lashed out at the Conservatives, whose leader Eric Coty announced an alliance with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Union. Macron did not spare criticism of the far-left "Unyielding France" as well.
"For a few hours, the right turned its back on the legacy of General Charles de Gaulle, as well as former presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. At the same time, left-wing parties have allied themselves with the anti-Semitic "Unyielding France", the French leader said.
He said voters had a choice between "unholy alliances of the two extremes that agree on almost nothing but giving away jobs" and his own bloc with a "single vision for the country".
"We are not perfect, but we have results," Macron insisted, citing job creation, the energy transition and support for Ukraine as highlights. | BGNES
