The World Briefly

June 21, 2022

The Speed Bumps

France

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French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition lost its parliamentary majority following Sunday’s legislative elections, a vote that could result in a difficult five-year term for the incumbent, Politico reported Monday.

The results showed that Macron’s Ensemble alliance won 245 seats in the 577-seat lower house of parliament. Ensemble remains the largest bloc but the results are a far cry from the 345-seat majority it previously held – and short of the 285-seat threshold for an absolute majority.

Meanwhile, the leftwing coalition NUPES of far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon received 131 seats to become the largest opposition party in parliament.

Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally took home 89 seats after it saw a surge of support even though the party’s leader, Marine Le Pen, lost the April presidential elections to Macron – her third failed presidential bid.

The fragmented outcome has raised questions about whether Macron – despite being reelected – remained popular among voters. Analysts pointed out that such a result means that the young leader will face parliamentary deadlock when he tries to pass legislation, including a controversial bill to reform France’s costly pensions system.

Mélenchon, a vocal opponent of Macron, called the results a sign of “a drubbing of the presidential party.” He vowed NUPES would become a “combat tool” against the Macron coalition.

Political observers suggested that Macron might find allies in the conservative Les Républicains, which won 61 seats. Still, they noted that divisions within the conservative camp could result in unstable agreements and lengthy negotiations.

Some analysts speculated that the president would likely call snap polls within a year if he is unable to push through his reforms.

This story originally appeared in the June 21, 2022 newsletter, Country First.