Following his party's resounding loss to the far-right National Rally in the European Parliament elections earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Sunday that he would dissolve the Parliament and call early elections.
Macron also mentioned that there will be two rounds of elections for the National Assembly, on June 30 and July 7.
He said that the French people should be respected and that the country's problems needed to be understood.
"At the end of this day, therefore, I cannot pretend that nothing has happened," he added.
"The decision is serious and difficult, but it is above all an act of trust, trust in you, my dear compatriots," Macron said. He further said that he trusted the French people to make the best decisions in their interest and that of future generations.
After voting concluded, media projected that the National Rally in France would defeat Macron's Renaissance in the country's European Parliament elections by a significant margin.
After the polls ended on Sunday, broadcasters France 2 and TF1 stated that while Macron's pro-European camp only received roughly 15.2 to 15.4 percent of the vote, the populist, eurosceptic National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, received 31.5 to 32.3 percent.
Based on predictions, the Socialists finished third with 14 to 14.2 percent, slightly below Macron's centrist alliance.
Reconquete (Reconquest), an extreme right-wing party, garnered 5.3 to 5.5 percent of the vote.
At almost 52%, voter turnout was greater than it was five years ago.
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