<p>Paris: French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said he would turn down the chance to be prime minister if voters do not hand his party an absolute majority in a parliamentary election.</p><p>Opinion polls see Bardella's eurosceptic, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) winning the June 30 and July 7 ballot following President Emmanuel Macron's decision this month to dissolve Parliament.</p><p>But the absolute majority that would guarantee its ability to govern and pass laws without allies could be out of reach.</p>.Snap election was the only path forward: French president Macron.<p>"If tomorrow I'm in a position to be appointed to the Matignon (prime minister's office) and I do not have an absolute majority because the French have not given me an absolute majority, I will refuse to be appointed," Bardella told France 2 TV late on Tuesday.</p><p>The RN has said 28-year-old Bardella would be its choice for prime minister, rather than long-time leader Marine Le Pen, who would be its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.</p><p>"I tell the French people that to act, I need an absolute majority," Bardella told reporters on Wednesday. "A prime minister ... with a relative majority cannot change things, I would not be able to act in the daily lives of French people, on the country's policies."</p><p>Macron's centrist party has been running a minority government since it won most seats, but lost its absolute majority, two years ago.</p><p>But it could be more difficult to run a minority government this time, with pollsters seeing parliament divided into three groups - the far right, Macron's centrist group, and a left-wing alliance.</p><p>The French constitution says the president appoints the prime minister, but it does not say which criteria he should use. This means Macron has a range of options.</p><p>If the RN wins the election without an absolute majority but does not want to run the government, Macron could offer the prime minister's post to the second-biggest party or try to pull together a coalition of mainstream parties.</p><p>Whatever the scenario, there could be a risk of political paralysis, analysts say.</p><p>The constitution says there can be no new parliamentary election for another year, so a repeat election is not an option.</p>
<p>Paris: French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said he would turn down the chance to be prime minister if voters do not hand his party an absolute majority in a parliamentary election.</p><p>Opinion polls see Bardella's eurosceptic, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) winning the June 30 and July 7 ballot following President Emmanuel Macron's decision this month to dissolve Parliament.</p><p>But the absolute majority that would guarantee its ability to govern and pass laws without allies could be out of reach.</p>.Snap election was the only path forward: French president Macron.<p>"If tomorrow I'm in a position to be appointed to the Matignon (prime minister's office) and I do not have an absolute majority because the French have not given me an absolute majority, I will refuse to be appointed," Bardella told France 2 TV late on Tuesday.</p><p>The RN has said 28-year-old Bardella would be its choice for prime minister, rather than long-time leader Marine Le Pen, who would be its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.</p><p>"I tell the French people that to act, I need an absolute majority," Bardella told reporters on Wednesday. "A prime minister ... with a relative majority cannot change things, I would not be able to act in the daily lives of French people, on the country's policies."</p><p>Macron's centrist party has been running a minority government since it won most seats, but lost its absolute majority, two years ago.</p><p>But it could be more difficult to run a minority government this time, with pollsters seeing parliament divided into three groups - the far right, Macron's centrist group, and a left-wing alliance.</p><p>The French constitution says the president appoints the prime minister, but it does not say which criteria he should use. This means Macron has a range of options.</p><p>If the RN wins the election without an absolute majority but does not want to run the government, Macron could offer the prime minister's post to the second-biggest party or try to pull together a coalition of mainstream parties.</p><p>Whatever the scenario, there could be a risk of political paralysis, analysts say.</p><p>The constitution says there can be no new parliamentary election for another year, so a repeat election is not an option.</p>