French Senate President Gerard Larcher on Wednesday accused President Emmanuel Macron of "fragmenting democracy in France".

Larcher considered that the head of state bears "a kind of responsibility" for the low turnout during the first round of the regional and local elections in France, which sparked controversy in French political circles.

Commenting on this situation, Larache expressed, in statements to the French TV channel LCI, his concern about this wave of abstentions in the country, describing this phenomenon as "significant in a country in pain".