• Emmanuel Macron urges voters on Tuesday to give him a “solid majority”.
• He warns against adding “French disorder to global disorder”.
• His visit to Romania and Moldova has sparked outrage at home.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, urged voters on Tuesday to give him a “solid majority” in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, warning against adding “French disorder to global disorder.”

Macron said as he left Paris for a visit to French troops stationed in Romania in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that “the months ahead will be difficult,” but he urged people to support him in the name of “the higher national interest” and “common sense.”

Macron’s visit to Romania and neighbouring Moldova this week has sparked outrage at home, coming just days before the second round of crucial parliamentary elections in which his centrist majority is under threat.

“Emmanuel Macron has planned a trip abroad for three days… after anaesthetising the campaign by refusing any debate, he saw the second round as a done deal,” Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the left-wing NUPES alliance, told Le Parisien daily.

The incumbent had already been charged by opponents with sitting out April’s presidential vote, bringing home a solid but unspectacular win against far-right chief Marine Le Pen.

Appearing to bet on a similar strategy in this month’s parliamentary poll, his Ensemble (Together) alliance suffered in Sunday’s first-round while NUPES and the far-right made gains.

Projections suggest voters could hand Ensemble 255-295 seats in the second round — uncomfortably low compared with the threshold for an absolute majority of 289.

Macron’s Elysee Palace office said that in Romania the president would send “a clear message of our commitment to our NATO allies and European partners” following Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine — highlighted by France’s 500-strong deployment in the country.

Read more: Macrons majority in doubt after first round of parliament vote

There have even been press reports, unconfirmed so far, that Macron could make his first visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv since the assault began in February, alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

But “people (in France) are really worried about petrol, purchasing power, not about him going to visit French soldiers abroad,” one anonymous parliamentary candidate for Ensemble complained to Le Parisien.

Macron acknowledged on Tuesday the “disorder in our everyday lives,” telling voters “you’re already paying more for your gas, your petrol, your groceries, and the months ahead will be difficult.”

“In these troubled times, the choice you have to make this Sunday is more crucial than ever,” he added, calling on both people who voted for other candidates and non-voters to rally behind him.

While the campaign has been dominated by inflation and other economic impacts of the Ukraine war, the left is also trying to make it a referendum on Macron’s plans to raise the minimum retirement age to 65 as part of a pensions overhaul.

Read more: French left seeks comeback against Macron in parliamentary polls

However, all parties have struggled to get voters excited about the election, with only 47.5 percent voting on Sunday, the lowest turnout ever in a first-round parliament election.

Since electoral calendar reforms in the early 2000s, interest in the legislative vote – which comes after the presidential election – has waned, as it has always provided the head of state with a comfortable majority.