French President Macron Loses Parliamentary Majority

The centrist alliance of President Emmanuel Macron has lost its absolute majority position in the second round of France’s parliamentary election.

According to preliminary official results from the Ministry of the Interior President Macron’s Ensemble (ENS) alliance won 245 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly.

An absolute majority would require 289 seats.

Socialist veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon’s new leftist NUPES coalition secured 131 seats, becoming the main opposition force.

Melenchon hailed the result as “above all an electoral failure” for the president.
Reports from AFP, Reuters
Indicates that the election results is likely to complicate the newly re-elected president’s second-term agenda.

It said macron’s ability to pursue further economic reforms would hinge on his ability to rally moderates outside of his alliance behind his legislative agenda.

A hung parliament would open up a period of political uncertainty that would require a degree of power-sharing among parties not experienced in France since the 1988-1991 presidency of Francois Mitterand.

Alternatively, it would result in political paralysis and even possibly repeat elections.

In April, Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen to be the first French president to win a second term since Jacques Chirac in 2001.

Far-right, center-right make gains
Le Pen’s National Rally (NR) party, which had just eight seats in the outgoing parliament, saw its biggest parliamentary success in decades, winning 89 seats and becoming the third power in the legislature, according to the preliminary results.

The conservative Les Republicains (LR) got 61 seats, potentially making them kingmakers.

The results are “far from what we hoped”, Budget Minister Gabriel Attal said on the TF1 channel, while Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told BFM television: “We’re in the first place but it’s a first place that is disappointing.”

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who won a seat in Western France, said that her government would get to work from Monday to reach out to potential partners in order to rally a majority behind it.

“I have trust in all of us and in our sense of responsibility,” said Borne, telling voters: “We want to continue to protect you and ensure your security.”

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France 2 television that the projected result was a “democratic shock,” but said that fears the country could become ungovernable were unfounded.

Le Maire noted that Macron’s camp would still have the biggest numbers in parliament, and added it was vital to connect with political rivals who shared Macron’s ideas.

Le Pen, meanwhile, said the results are a boost for her party.

“The people have spoken and sent a strong group from the National Rally to the National Assembly,” she said

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri