After five years of unquestioned parliamentary scrutiny, the recently re-elected Macron, known for his top-down approach to power, is now entering his second term in the face of uncertainty about how to implement domestic policy, such as rising of retirement age and the review of state benefits. Its centrists will have to make compromises and expand alliances in parliament to be able to push through its proposals for tax cuts and changes to the welfare system. Graphic guard The Macron’s Ensemble (Together) remains the largest group in parliament, but has suffered significant losses in what the media called an “overwhelming defeat” and an “earthquake.” Political analysts saw the results as a “serious setback” for Macron’s centrist alliance, which lost the majority by a wide margin, in contrast to its overwhelming victory five years ago. Ipsos pollsters’ predictions, based on individual results, showed that Macron’s centrists would win about 230 seats – far less than the 289 required to have a direct majority in the National Assembly. A historic left-wing coalition led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hardline France Unbowed party with the Socialists and the Greens has increased its seats to become the largest opposition, ready to win about 149 seats. But the night’s most impressive result came for Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigrant National Party, which was projected to increase its seats from eight in 2017 to around 85 – a record high for a party that has struggled in the past. to make a profit in the first voting system in parliament. The gains of the far right showed that Le Pen’s party had expanded from its traditional outposts in Pas-de-Calais to the north and northeast, and spread from its southeastern outposts along the Mediterranean coast. Significantly, the far right opened new avenues in western France with a rising party star, 34-year-old Edwige Diaz, winning a seat in Gironde outside Bordeaux, in an area where anti-government protests were very strong. The party’s high number of seats will allow Le Pen, who was elected in the Pas-de-Calais region, to form a large parliamentary group and receive more visibility and significant funding for its debt-ridden party. Le Pen gave a winning speech from northern France, saying her party had won the largest number of seats in history. “We will be a strong opposition,” he said. The interim leader of her party, Jordan Bardella, called it a “tsunami”. The 89 members of the far-right could outnumber Mélenchon’s France Unbowed party. Melanson’s party now leads a broader left-wing coalition known as the Nupes, or New People’s Ecological and Social Union. Of the 149 seats in the left-wing coalition, the Greens increased their number of seats to about 28, with the Socialists occupying about 22. Clementine Otten, a close ally of Melanson, described the result of the united left as a “discovery”. Macron’s centrists insisted they had reached the top, even though the mood at the party headquarters was gloomy. “It’s a disappointing first place, but it’s a first place,” said Olivia Grégoire, a government spokeswoman for French television. He said the government would ally with the “moderates” who wanted to “get things done”, but did not say how Macron’s team would avoid the stalemate over the legislation. Economy Minister Bruno Lemerre described the results as a “democratic shock”, which he described as a strong push by the far right. He said the results reflected the “great concerns” of the French electorate, but that Macron’s policy plans could continue as “work, security, Europe, climate”. Lemmer said Macron was the only person who had the “democratic legitimacy” to decide on the plan and reach out 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 by the far-right Le Pen, had called for a “solid majority” in parliament to be free to pursue domestic policies such as raising the retirement age and reviewing state benefits. But his party, La République En Marche, soon to be renamed the Renaissance, suffered many symbolic defeats as key figures in Macron’s circle were elected. Among them was Christoph Castaner, the former leader of Macron’s party in parliament. Richard Ferrand, the architect of Macron’s centrist movement and former head of the French parliament, has been ousted from his seat in Brittany. The president’s party will now depend more than ever on its centrist allies, including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s new Horizons party. The government could turn more right if it needs to turn to right-wing lawmakers. Macron will be forced to reshuffle his government in the coming days after the new Health Minister, Brigitte Bourguignon, was defeated by the far right in the north and other ministers feared they might lose their seats. The Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, was elected in Normandy, but her result was closer than expected. The election was marked by voter apathy, as less than 50% of the electorate cast ballots. The right-wing party Les Républicains, which was in power under Nicolas Sarkozy, suffered losses, but was still projected to hold about 78 seats. This was seen as a respectable show after its disastrous run in the presidential election, when Valérie Pécresse’s candidate received less than 5%. Its right-wing and center-right allies, the UDI, could now be seen as a possible parliamentary alliance for the government.
