France's Macron says he won't quit if his party loses in snap election vote

• The snap election is a gamble for Macron, who would not lose his position as president if his party is defeated, but would see his domestic powers significantly diminished.
• Macron on Sunday dissolved the French parliament and called for snap legislative elections later in June, following a stinging defeat in the weekend's European Parliament elections to right-wing parties.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday affirmed that he would not step down if his party suffers in the recently-called snap elections for France's parliament.

The chance of that happening "never existed," Macron told journalists, calling the suggestion "absurd" and saying that he wanted to nip the idea in the bud, according to French reporting translated by CNBC.

Macron on Sunday dissolved the French parliament and called for snap legislative elections later in June, following a stinging defeat in the weekend's European Parliament elections which saw major gains for right-wing parties in several countries including France, Germany, and Austria.

Macron said that he "does not intend to campaign more than [he did] in 2017 and 2022" in the legislative elections and will leave that task to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, along "with the leaders of the majority who are there at his side."

The snap election is a gamble for Macron, who has characterized the race as a choice for the French people between nationalism and demagoguery or liberal values and a strong, united European Union.

The European Parliament election results indicated waning enthusiasm among voters for the EU, which analysts say surfaced at least in part due to rising frustration over issues like immigration, living costs and crime.

"For me, who has always considered that a