Former French President Sarkozy flags chaos risk as election looms

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy attends a "national tribute" ceremony for late French politician and admiral, Philippe de Gaulle, son of Charles de Gaulle, at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, France on March 20, 2024. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron's unexpected decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for snap legislative elections could backfire and plunge the country into chaos.

Macron called the snap vote, to be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, after his centrist alliance was trounced by the far-right National Rally (RN) in last Sunday's European Parliament ballot.