French elections on Sunday led to a strong right-wing victory for spots in the European Union Parliament. The EU Parliament consists of 720 delegates from 27 nations. The Left, Center, and Green parties are still set to maintain their overall majority, but by a smaller margin. The French vote is seen as an expression of distaste for the leadership of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party, which lost handily. 

The EU election result undermines public perception of Macron’s political strength and thus his ability to drive policy. Rather than allow that perception to linger, Macron called for snap elections on June 30 and July 7 for the lower house of France’s own Parliament (its internal assembly, as opposed to the continentwide EU Parliament). It’s a gamble: If the elections go badly for Macron’s party, he could effectively become a lame-duck president, unable to implement his domestic policy agenda.