Four parties in France have agreed to form a left-wing alliance ahead of the parliamentary election. They promise to break with Macron's policies – and want to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
Socialist Party's Raphaël Glucksmann, the party's top candidate in the European Championship election, supports the new alliance, which has been named Nouveau Front populaire (New People's Front).
We cannot leave France to the Le Pen family, he says to French Inter.
Besides the Socialist Party, the left-wing party Okuvade France, the Greens Ecologists, and the French Communist Party are part of the alliance.
In the joint election manifesto, there are promises to scrap Macron's controversial immigration and pension reforms, and a proposal to send peacekeeping forces to protect nuclear power plants in Ukraine.
"Lump in the stomach"
Glucksmann accuses President Emmanuel Macron of causing chaos in France with the new election.
He has opened the way to power for the far-right. Since Sunday evening, I have had a lump in my stomach, he says.
The far-right's Marine Le Pen hopes that her party National Rally (RN) will form a government.
We have the chance to win these elections and form a national unity government. We must pull France out of the rut, she says.
Early election
President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that the National Assembly will be dissolved and that there will be early elections in the country. This follows his party's crushing defeat in the European Championship election, while National Rally made significant gains.
The Greens' Marine Tondelier describes the election as a fight against RN.
It will probably be the far-right – or us, she says.
The first round of voting in the National Assembly election will take place on 30 June, and the second on 7 July.
