For the First Time in Decades, a French President Loses Majority in Parliament
by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
Emmanuel Macron’s party went down in flames in round two of French Parliamentary elections.
Democratic Shock
Reuters reports Macron Loses Absolute Majority in Parliament in ‘Democratic Shock’.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and his allies on Sunday lost their absolute majority in the National Assembly and with it control of the reform agenda, a crushing outcome for the newly re-elected president.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called the outcome a “democratic shock” and said they would reach out to all pro-Europeans to help govern the country.
“The rout of the presidential party is complete and there is no clear majority in sight,” Melenchon told cheering supporters.
Macron Paralyzed
Politico reports Macron to Lose Parliamentary Majority in Stunning Upset
In what is a major upset for the French president, voters massively came out in support of the right-wing National Rally as well as the left-wing coalition NUPES, depriving Macron of a ruling majority, early projections after the second round of the parliamentary elections showed.
According to poling agency IPSOS, Macron’s coalition Ensemble! has won 224 seats, compared with 149 seats for NUPES, led by the far-left firebrand Mélenchon, and 89 seats for the far-right National Rally.
Several party heavyweights, including the speaker of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand and former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner lost their seats. Heath Minister Brigitte Bourguignon also looks set to lose her seat and would be forced to resign.
This is the first time an elected president will only have a relative parliamentary majority since François Mitterrand in the 1980s.
In April, Macron won a second mandate with 59 percent of the vote, compared with 41 percent for the far-right Marine Le Pen.
Second Mandate?
Macron beat National Rally candidate Le Pen in the French presidential election 59-41.
There was no mandate nor was there a “landslide” for Macron in the presidential elections in any practical sense.
What French voters really think of Macron is on full display today.
National Rally the Big Winner
France 24 reports Marine Le Pen’s National Rally Estimated to Win 89 Seats.
The biggest winner on the night, according to these first estimates, is Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party with 89 seats, 11 times more than it won back in 2017. The National Rally will be able to form a parliamentary group (minimum 15 seats) for the first time since Le Pen’s father’s National Front won 35 seats in 1986, during a rare French experiment with proportional voting.
I believe people need to rethink the alleged “landslide” for Macron in light of today’s results.
89 seats is far more than anyone projected.
Fragmentation
- Macron’s Ensemble! : 224
- NUPES (Far Left): 149
- National Rally (Far Right) : 89 (up from a few)
- Republicans (Center Right): 76
- Other Left: 21
- Others: 12
Emmanuel Macron had more than 300 seats in the outgoing parliament. It takes 289 for a majority and he did not come close.
Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon has reportedly been beaten by her far-right opponent by just 56 votes.
Green Transition Minister Amélie de Montchalin also looks headed for defeat.
More Free Stuff and Conflicting Demands
Macron wants to raise retirement age to 65. The Left wants to lower it to 60.
The Greens and Macron want more Europe and carbon neutrality. The Far Right and Far Left want less Europe and lower gas prices.
NUPES leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants a vote on leaving NATO. Le Pen also wants France out of NATO.
