President Macron cannot send troops to Ukraine if there is a new prime minister.

According to RT on August 26, opposition politician Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, said in an interview with Le Telegramme that if the right wing wins the French parliamentary elections and Jordan Bardella becomes Prime Minister, President Macron will not be able to send troops to Ukraine.

According to Le Pen, the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief is simply an "honorary title" for the president, while the main power in France belongs to the National Assembly and the Prime Minister controls the State Treasury. If the opposition wins the parliamentary elections, President Macron will be obligated to appoint the leader of the winning party as prime minister. Furthermore, and without the permission of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister, Macron would not be able to send his troops to Ukraine.

Responding to a question about how President Macron and Mr. Bardella could "live together," Ms. Le Pen stated that Jordan Bardella did not intend to argue with President Macron, but that Bardella had established his red lines. Regarding Ukraine, the President would not be able to send troops there.

According to Politico (US), the upcoming parliamentary elections in France could be the most devastating since the Cold War – not only for France but also for the EU, NATO, and what remains of the post-war “liberal world order.” This is because the likely winner is the far-right National Rally (RN), and the likely loser is President Emmanuel Macron, who has been trying to consolidate the EU and seek a new, sustainable balance between Europe and the US.

The far-right National Rally (RN) is currently leading in polls with over 35% of the vote, while the New Popular Front (NPF), a left-dominated coalition, is in second place with over 29%, and the current ruling majority party has just over 21% of the vote.