France has sent 41 power generators to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, whose energy infrastructure has been severely damaged by Russian strikes, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
“France supports the Ukrainian people. We have sent 41 power generators to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, whose energy infrastructure has been severely damaged by Russian strikes,” the Ministry said in a statement on social media site X.
France will hold the first round of early elections to the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Sunday.
Polling stations mostly opened at 08:00 local time (09:00 Kiev time), the end of voting at most polling stations will take place by 18:00 (19:00 Kiev time), however, in some cities and departments the schedule of polling stations may differ. In particular, in major cities, including Paris, the French will be able to cast their vote until 20:00 (21:00 Kiev time).
The first results are expected to appear after 20:00 local time (21:00 Kiev time).
Voters will have to elect 577 parliamentarians, with 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.
According to the procedure, if a candidate wins a majority of votes in the first round with a turnout of more than 25%, he or she immediately gets a seat in parliament. If no candidate is elected, there is a second round.
As a rule, one round is not enough to determine the winner of the French parliamentary elections. This time the second round is scheduled for July 7.
In the elections there is a bloc of left-wing parties called “New Popular Front”, the coalition “Together”, including, in particular, the party “Renaissance”, founded by Macron, as well as the right-wing party “Republicans”. The main intrigue of the election, however, is how many seats the far-right Rassemblement Nationale party, affiliated with Marine Le Pen, which won France’s European Parliament elections earlier this month, will be able to win.
According to the latest pre-election polls, Rassemblement Nationale can count on nearly 40 percent of the vote in the first round, which could give the party between 250 and 280 seats in the lower house, while 289 seats are needed for an absolute majority. A coalition of the Left is likely to come in second place, while the Together coalition is likely to come in third.
Early elections in France are being held after French President Macron’s Renaissance party lost to the far-right Rassemblement Nationale in the June 9 European Parliament elections. On the same day, the French leader announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, and called early parliamentary elections.
Earlier the analytical center Experts Club presented an analytical material about the most important elections in the countries of the world in 2024, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=eGb95W02MgF6KzXU.
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and the scheduling of early parliamentary elections for June 30 and July 7, French newspaper Le Figaro reported.
“I have decided to give you back the choice of your parliamentary future. It is a serious and weighty decision, but above all, it is an act of trust,” Macron said in a video message posted on social network X.
The first round of elections will be held on June 30, with the second round on July 7.
Macron’s list was defeated in the European Parliament elections, taking half as many as the right-wing National Union.
According to Macron, this result “is not a good result for parties defending Europe.” He added that the far-right was gaining popularity everywhere on the continent.
“I cannot act as if nothing has happened….. That is why, having carried out the consultations required by Article 12 of our Constitution, I have decided to once again give you the choice of our parliamentary future by voting. In a few minutes, I will sign a decree calling parliamentary elections to be held on June 30, the first round, and July 7, the second round,” the French leader said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the delivery of the first series of Mirage 2000 aircraft to Ukraine, the start of training for pilots and mechanics of these aircraft, as well as a full training course for the personnel of one military brigade.
“We are announcing the delivery of the first series of Mirage 2000 aircraft and the start of training for attack pilots and mechanics to maintain these aircraft. We have decided that France will fully equip and train the personnel of a full brigade as part of the efforts to regenerate the Ukrainian forces,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday evening.
In addition, he noted that “all the equipment that was transferred (to Ukraine – IF-U), in particular, Scalp missiles, A2SM surface-to-air bombs, is what helped to change the situation in Ukraine on the battlefield.”
Macron also announced a project to organize the production of ammunition in Ukraine with the participation of a French company.
Later, at a press conference, answering media questions about the number of Mirage 2000 aircraft that France would be providing to Ukraine, Macron said: “I will not give you a number, nor partners, nor a figure, just to be effective.”
France will allocate 200 million euros to companies that will invest in the restoration of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, with 60 million euros of these funds going to the Ukrainian energy sector, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
“We held a meeting at the level of the Reconstruction Fund and decided that new instruments will be created to accompany this reconstruction of Ukraine. An agreement has been signed on a 200 million euro fund that will be earmarked for those companies that will invest in Ukraine’s critical infrastructure to rebuild it,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Ukraine’s president in Paris on Friday evening.
At the same time, he said, 60 million euros from this fund will be directed to Ukraine’s energy sector and its priorities.
The French President also announced the decision to expand the mandate of the French Development Agency to support projects in Ukraine at the local level.
In particular, it was decided to second 20 French technical experts to various key ministries of Ukraine to witness the work on standardization.
On Friday, June 7, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign two agreements to provide Ukraine with €650 million in loans and grants, in particular to support local authorities and critical infrastructure, the Elysee Palace said on Wednesday, Le Monde reports.
The first agreement will reportedly provide the French Development Agency with “€400 million in loans and €50 million in grants until 2027” to “expand its activities in Ukraine” by providing support in the energy and transport sectors, in particular “to develop administrative capacity.”
The second agreement concerns the creation of a “support fund” for critical infrastructure, which will be invested with €200 million euros “to support French companies in future tenders (…) in the energy, transport, water and sanitation, health and agriculture sectors”.
It is noted that “these funds will be used to finance large projects, strengthen or replace failing energy infrastructure” as it is the object of special attention from Moscow.
