Macron made his surprise announcement after his pro-European party was projected to get less than half the support of the far-right National Rally party.

Saying he could not ignore the new political reality, he now hopes that voters will come together to temper the far right in national elections.

But his decision to dissolve parliament because voters expressed displeasure with his policies has been described by national newspaper Le Figaro as “a leap into the unknown.”

The paper added that calling early parliamentary elections was “unheard of” and could result in “incalculable consequences.”

And Macron’s hope, says the paper, that the French public will “correct” the European vote enabling him to regain his majority could backfire as it “runs the risk of entrusting the reins of power to a party whose progress he promised to stop,” the paper said.

Le Monde newspaper says Macron is now, more than ever, faced with “a contradictory task that he has set for himself: reducing support for the extreme right without pursuing a policy that could eradicate its roots.”

Meanwhile, in its headline the daily Liberation newspaper asks “Who can believe that Macron knows what he is doing?”

The paper goes on to say that early elections are as unexpected as they are crucial and calls on left-wing groups to “realize their historical role” and “ensure that fascism does not pass.”