Early parliamentary elections! Emmanuel Macron has set a trap for Marine Le Pen

"Emmanuel Macron has set a trap for the hard right, by surprisingly calling parliamentary elections", sources from the Elysée Palace told Reuters.

Government officials have said that if Marine Le Pen's party wins power, it "could show voters the party's incompetence ahead of the presidential election.

The source told the British agency that success in the election later this month could leave the hard right in power and help Macron's party win a third term.

Emmanuel Pellerin of Macron's Renaissance party added: "Everything points to the hard-right National Rally winning a relative or absolute majority. But it forces the French to think about what is at stake.

However, he added that "we are still in shock" from the announcement of early elections.