President Emmanuel Macron’s electoral alliance faces defeat in the decisive round of French parliamentary elections. According to early forecasts, his liberal alliance, the Ensemble, will lose the absolute majority and gain only 200 to 260 seats, of which 289 seats are needed for an absolute majority. The new left-wing alliance, led by left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, will have between 150 and 180 seats in parliament.
The big winner of the parliamentary elections could be the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National, which is projected to have 60 to 100 MPs in the National Assembly. This means she can form her own group for the first time, which in turn means more financial support and more speaking time. The head of the Rassemblement National is Marine Le Pen, who was defeated by Macron in the presidential runoff election.
The result is a major blow to Macron, whose camp currently holds an absolute majority in the House of Representatives. Normally, the parliamentary elections held shortly after the presidential elections are seen as confirmation, so that the same political force often wins with an absolute majority. The new left alliance and Mélenchon, on the other hand, achieved tremendous success, gaining more influence as the most powerful opposition group.
Governing becomes much more difficult
In the parliamentary elections, Macron was concerned about whether he would be able to carry out his plans in his second term. He needed a majority in parliament for that. Now with a relative majority, the president and government are forced to seek support from other camps. Depending on the project, they will try to rely on center-left or center-right forces.
For Macron, it is particularly serious that the parliamentary elections in France are actually seen as confirmation of the presidential election. Traditionally, winners’ supporters participate in the vote, while others often stay at home. While many French people were unhappy with Macron’s first term, the 44-year-old should have taken advantage of it. But the left-wing alliance managed to mobilize enough supporters to make it difficult for the president from now on.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
