Macron facing a fractured France and the legislative fight

Emmanuel Macron begins a second five-year term on Monday with a victory against the far right with a historic score, but will have to deal with a fractured France and opponents already on a war footing seven weeks before the legislative elections.

“Basically, we want to go much further, much stronger on a certain number of issues”purchasing power and climate in mind, explained government spokesman Gabriel Attal on BFMTV and RMC.

But in the light of Sunday’s results, it is necessary “invent a new method”, involving the French “much more broadly and much more directly”he acknowledged, confirming the promise of Emmanuel Macron, Sunday at the Champ-de-Mars, of a “redesigned method” to be “the president of all”.

With 58.55% of the vote against the candidate of the National Rally Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron certainly signed a feat on Sunday by being the first outgoing president to be re-elected outside cohabitation since the introduction of direct universal suffrage in 1962. However, he lost two million votes between the second rounds of 2017 and 2022 (18.7 million on Sunday, against 20.7 million five years ago, according to the Ministry of the Interior).

For its part, the RN, which has gained nearly eight points in five years, also makes a historic score (41.45%). Abstention (28%) has reached a record since the 1969 presidential election (31%).

“I am aware that this vote obliges me for the years to come”assured the Head of State to those who voted for him “not to support (his) ideas”but “to block those of the extreme right”.

“He said he was going to change, that there was going to be a renewal in his policy, and that’s what we expect”underlined in Bordeaux Monday morning Salim Boutaleb, 33, educator in child protection.

It’s necessary “respond to the message of anger, concern, of millions of French people who say + I can’t get out of it +”affirmed the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire on franceinfo, confirming that the shield on gas prices would be “maintained until the end of 2022”and that the government was working to “summer” to an aid system targeting heavy rollers.

“Soothing”

After a five-year term marked by the Covid health crisis and that of « yellow vests», the stakes are high.

“Five years ago, there were 10 million votes difference between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Today, there are only 5.5 million left., summarized Mathieu Gallard, director of studies at Ipsos, on franceinfo. And “more than a third of the electorate decided not to make a choice. »

The map of Sunday’s election results draws two Frances: on the one hand the big cities, the upper middle classes and retirees who voted for Macron; on the other, a more popular France, often feeling excluded, particularly in the northeast and around the Mediterranean, having voted for Le Pen.

“Emmanuel Macron is aware of having to appease” insisted on RTL Elisabeth Borne, whose name is circulating to replace Jean Castex at Matignon.

Asked about the face of a future government, Gabriel Attal did not give any details, stressing that the decisions “do not depend” on him.

Jean Castex had announced in mid-April that he would resign, as well as his government, “in the days following” the election. But his lease at Matignon could be extended for several days at least. Emmanuel Macron slipped Friday that he was considering a “transition week”.

“Political muddle”

As a state of grace, it is the battle of the legislative elections of June 12 and 19 which now awaits the newly re-elected president and the majority. Two polls carried out on Sunday showed that a majority of French people did not want Mr. Macron’s troops to win the legislative elections (63% according to OpinionWay and 56% according to Ipsos Sopra-Steria).

Marine Le Pen launched “the battle” on Sunday evening, seeing in her unprecedented score “a brilliant victory” and the manifestation of the ” wish “ of the French from“a strong counter-power to Emmanuel Macron”.

The RN, of which Marine Le Pen should not become president again according to her spokesperson Sébastien Chenu, has only six deputies in the legislature which is ending.

The challenge for him will be to go beyond the status of a protest party which, as political scientist Jean-Yves Camus puts it, ” collects a considerable percentage of votes, infuses society, but will never come to power because it has no allies”.

Eric Zemmour, the Reconquest candidate! of the first round (7% of the vote), called again on Sunday evening ” the national block to ” unite »to materialize a“union of rights” relevant, scathing, that it is“the eighth time that defeat strikes the name of Le Pen”.

But Sébastien Chenu once again opposed an end of inadmissibility:“we are not going to embark on alliances on theories that are not ours (…), it is not political grub that the French expect”, he pointed out on BFMTV and RMC.

Critics also focus on Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the LFI candidate who, on the strength of his third place in the first round with nearly 22% of the vote, urges the French to“Elect Prime Minister”during the legislative elections which, according to him, will constitute a “third round.

“For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, an election he does not win is an election that does not exist”, criticized Gabriel Attal. “No one believes in the idea of ​​a Jean-Luc Mélenchon Prime Minister”even if“he has the right to imagine that he is the center of political life”mocked Sébastien Chenu.