Emmanuel Macron’s centrist group lost an absolute majority in parliament amid gains from a new left-wing alliance and a historic jump on the far right, according to Sunday’s election results.
After five years of undisputed control of parliament, the recently re-elected Macron, known for his top-down approach to power, is now entering his second term, facing uncertainty over how he will pursue domestic policies, such as raising the retirement age and reviewing state aid. His centrists will have to compromise and expand unions in parliament to push through his proposals for tax cuts and changes in the social system.
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Macron’s ensemble (Together) remains the largest group in parliament, but has suffered significant losses in what the media called a “crushing defeat” and an “earthquake”. Political analysts see the results as a “serious failure” for Macron’s centrist alliance, which missed the majority by a wide margin, unlike its landslide victory five years ago.
Ipsos sociologists predict, based on partial results, that Macron’s centrists will win about 230 seats – far less than the 289 needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
A historic alliance of left-wing parties, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon’s stubborn France Unconquered party with the Socialists and the Greens, has increased its seats to become the largest opposition group, ready to win about 149 seats.
But the most impressive result of the evening came for Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration party, the National Rally, which was expected to increase its seats from eight in 2017 to around 85, a historic high for a party that has struggled in the past. of profits in the parliamentary voting system “first last post”.
Far-right gains have shown that Le Pen’s party has expanded from its traditional centers in the Pas-de-Calais across the north and northeast and spread from its southeastern centers along the Mediterranean coast.
Significantly, the far right is trying new ground in western France with a rising party star, Edwig Diaz, 34, won a seat in Gironde outside Bordeaux, an area where anti-government protests by yellow vests have been very strong. The party’s large number of seats will allow Le Pen, who was elected in the Pas-de-Calais region, to form a large parliamentary group and gain greater visibility and significant funding for his party, which faces debt.
Le Pen gave a triumphant speech in northern France, saying her party had won the largest number of members of parliament in history. “We will be a strong opposition,” she said. Its interim party leader, Jordan Bardella, called it a tsunami.
The 89 far-right MPs may be larger than Melanchon’s France Unconquered party. Melenchon’s party now leads a broader left-wing coalition known as the Nupes or New People’s Ecological and Social Union. Within the 149-seat left-wing alliance, the Green Party increased its performance to about 28 and the Socialists to about 22. Clementine Otten, a close ally of Melanchon, described the combined left’s result as a “breakthrough”.
Macron’s centrists insisted they were still on top, even if the mood at party headquarters was described as gloomy.
“It’s a disappointing first place, but it’s first place,” said Olivia Gregoire, a government spokeswoman for French television. She said the government would ally with the “moderates” who want to “move things forward”, but did not specify how Macron’s group would avoid a deadlock over legislation.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Mer called the results a “democratic shock”, which he described as putting great pressure on the far right. He said the results reflected the “great concerns” of the French electorate, but Macron’s political plans could still be revived as “work, security, Europe, climate”.
Le Mer said Macron was the only person with “democratic legitimacy” to decide the project and lend a hand to others in parliament to “move forward”. He said he did not believe there would be chaos in parliament and the results were disappointing, but “not a defeat”.
Macron, who was re-elected president in April against the far-right Le Pen, pleaded for a “solid majority” in parliament to have a free hand in domestic politics, such as raising the retirement age and reviewing state benefits.
But his party, La République En Marche, which will soon be renamed Renaissance, suffered several symbolic defeats as key figures in Macron’s circle were rejected. Among them was Christoph Castaner, the former head of Macron’s party in parliament. Richard Ferrand, the architect of the centrist movement Macron and former head of the French parliament, was expelled from his seat in Brittany.
The president’s party will now be more dependent than ever on its centrist allies, which include former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s new party, Horizons. The government can shift to the right if it has to sue right-wing lawmakers.
Macron will be forced to change his government in the coming days after new Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon was defeated by the far right in the north and other ministers feared they could lose their seats. Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne was elected in Normandy, but the result was closer than expected.
The election was marked by voter apathy, with less than 50% of the electorate voting.
The right-wing party Les Républicains, which was in power under Nicolas Sarkozy, suffered losses, but was still expected to retain about 78 seats. This was considered worthy evidence after his disastrous result in the presidential election, when his candidate Valery Pekres took less than 5%. The right and its center-right allies, the UDI, can now be courted as a potential parliamentary union for the government.
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