Paris: France’s voter heads are set to vote in the final round of parliamentary elections that will show how much leg room the party of President Emmanuel Macron will be given to implement his ambitious domestic agenda.
In last week’s first vote, the Left, under firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, put up a surprisingly strong show, causing panic through Macron’s allies.
They fear a strong showing of Mélancheon’s coalition on Sunday could turn Macron into a fettered leader for a second term, who spends his time bargaining with politicians and major limitations on his ability to govern. does.
Elections are being held across the country to elect 577 members of the National Assembly, the most powerful branch of France’s parliament.
Although Macron’s centrist coalition is projected to win the most seats, observers predict it may fall short of retaining his majority – the golden number of 289 seats. In this case, a new coalition made up of the Hard Left, Socialists and Greens could be formed, which could make Macron’s political maneuvering difficult as parliament’s lower house is crucial to voting on laws.
Macron earlier this week made a powerfully choreographed appeal to voters ahead of his trip to Romania and Ukraine, warning that an inconclusive election, or a hung parliament, would put the country at risk.
“In these difficult times, the choice you make this Sunday is more important than ever,” he said on Tuesday, with the president’s plane awaiting the visit of French troops stationed near Ukraine. “Nothing will be worse than adding French disorder to the chaos of the world,” he said.
After Macron is re-elected in May, his centrist coalition is aiming for a parliamentary majority that will enable the president to implement his campaign promises, including tax cuts and raising France’s retirement age from 62 to 65. is included. There is still hope for his camp: Voting agencies estimate that Macron’s centrist could eventually win 255 to more than 300 seats, while the left-wing coalition led by Mélenchon could win more than 200.
Yet many acknowledge that the outcome so far has been less desirable for Macron’s party.
“The disappointment was evident on the night of the first round for the leaders of the presidential party. Clearly, they want to gain a new momentum now on the way to the second round,” said Martin Quensz, political analyst at the German Marshall Fund for the United States .
If Macron fails to obtain a majority, it will not only affect the domestic politics of France, it could have an impact across Europe. Analysts predict that the French leader will have to focus more on his domestic agenda rather than his foreign policy for the rest of his term. This continental politician could spell the end of President Macron.
If he loses his majority, “he will need to be more involved in domestic politics over the next five years than before, so we can expect that he has less political capital to invest at the European level or internationally.” It would … it could have an impact on European politics as a whole in European affairs,” Quens said.