Macron Party's 2nd Spot in EU Vote 'Personal' Loss for President - Official

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The second place of the alliance backing French President Emmanuel Macron in the European Parliament election is a "personal defeat" for the French leader, Thierry Mariani, the number three on the list of the winning National Rally (RN), told Sputnik.

"During three months the government has used all the administrative resources to win this election … We are very satisfied with the result that puts us on top. And even if the gap is small, it’s a personal defeat for the president who engaged completely in this election", Mariani said.

Mariani stressed that a president who got so invested in the election campaign but failed to come first should "drive conclusions by either stepping down… or by organizing another legislative election, or at least by changing his politics."

However, Mariani is not expecting any of these options from Macron, who is "obstinate, deaf and contemptuous of the point of view of the French."

According to preliminary results of this weekend's vote, RN can claim 22 out of 79 French sets, Macron's alliance has secured 21 seats, while the environmentalists have got 12 seats.

The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.