After five years of undisputed control, Macron, known for his top-down approach to power, is considering a new mandate for which he will need to strike more compromises.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | beautiful pictures
France votes on Sunday in a high-profile parliamentary election that could deprive President Emmanuel Macron of the absolute majority he needs to stay in power.
Voting begins at 8am (0600 GMT), with initial predictions scheduled for 8pm (1800 GMT) in an election that could change the French political landscape.
Pollsters predict Macron’s camp will end up with the largest number of seats, but say it’s in no way guaranteed to reach the 289 threshold for an absolute majority.
Opinion polls also show the far right is likely to achieve its biggest parliamentary success in decades, while a broad left-green coalition could become the biggest opposition group and faction. conservatives call themselves kings.
If Macron’s faction falls short of an outright majority, that will usher in a period of uncertainty that can be resolved by a degree of power-sharing between parties unprecedented in France over the past decades. – or lead to prolonged paralysis and repeat parliamentary elections. current.
Macron, who wants to raise the retirement age, pursue his pro-business agenda and further integrate the European Union, won a second term in April.
After electing the president, French voters traditionally use legislative polls that come a few weeks later to give him a comfortable parliamentary majority – with Francois Mitterand in 1988 being a rare exception. rather.
Macron and his allies can still get there.
But the rejuvenated left is posing a tough challenge, as rampant inflation and soaring costs of living send shock waves through the French political landscape.
If Macron and his allies don’t win an absolute majority by just a few seats, they could be lured into poaching centre-right or conservative MPs, officials for these parties say.
If they miss it by a wider margin, they could seek a coalition with conservatives or run a minority government that would have to negotiate the law on a case-by-case basis with other parties.
Even if Macron’s side wins 289 seats or more, it needs to avoid sharing power, it could be thanks to his former prime minister Edouard Philippe, who will demand more say in what the government does. .
So after five years of undisputed control, Macron, known for his top-down approach to power, is considering a new mandate for which he will need to strike more compromises.
No poll shows that the leftist party led by Jean-Luc Melenchon has won a ruling majority – a scenario that could push the eurozone’s second-largest economy into a period of coexistence. stability between a president and prime minister from different political groups.
