in france in the first round of parliamentary elections. the election, called to widespread surprise by president emmanuel macron, has thrown french politics into disarray. support for the anti immigration and eurosceptic national rally party has surged despite president macron s pledges to stop its rise. the far right national rally is widely expected to come in first place. in the 577 member national assembly, pa rliament s lower house. but it remains unclear if the party will secure an outright majority. the shape of the new parliament will become clear after the second round of voting onjuly 7. i am joined by prof jonah levy, vice chair of the department of political science, specialising in french and west european politics at the university of california, berkeley. thank you forjoining us. first of all, remind us, why did president emmanuel macron call this snap election? this snap election? president emmanuel this snap election? president emmanuel macron this snap