The elections in France ended with an unusual and catastrophic outcome for Macron: what next?

Ambush for the President: the right is pushed aside, but the left has pulled ahead

Last week, every word was said that France was making a turn to the right, since the results of the first round of parliamentary elections Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally has confidently taken the lead. But Macron and company staged a trick to prevent nationalists from coming to power. As a result, the President of the Fifth Republic deceived himself. The Lepenovites' triumph was severely thwarted. But first place was won by his opponents from the far left flank. And this is also an ambush for Macron. 

Photo: Global Look Press

Election results show French voters chose to give a broad left-wing coalition a majority of parliamentary seats in key parliamentary elections, keeping the far right out of power, the Associated Press notes. However, no party won an absolute majority, leaving France in an uncertain, unprecedented situation.

President Emmanuel Macron's Center Alliance was in second place, with the far right in third, still significantly increasing its number of seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.

There is no clear information yet about a possible future prime minister. Macron says he will wait to decide his next steps and heads to Washington this week for a NATO summit.

The new lawmakers could begin work in parliament on Monday, with their first session beginning on July 18. notes the Associated Press.

For now, the French parliament appears to be at risk of being stuck in limbo.

As a result of the elections, three main political blocs were formed, but none of them is close to a majority, in at least 289 places out of 577.

The National Assembly is the most important of the two houses of the French parliament. In the process of making laws, it is decisive compared to the Senate, which is dominated by conservatives.

Although this is not uncommon in other European countries, modern France has never had a parliament without a dominant party, reminds AP.< /p>

This situation requires legislators to reach consensus between parties in order to harmonize government positions and legislation. But France's unstable political situation and deep divisions over taxes, immigration and Middle East policy make this particularly difficult.

That means Macron's centrist allies will be unable to pursue their pro-business policies, including a pledge to overhaul health benefits. unemployment. This may also complicate the adoption of the budget.

The question arises: will Macron be able to come to an agreement with the leftists who received gold in the second round?

Yes, Macron may try to negotiate with the moderate left to create a joint government. But such negotiations, if they happen, are expected to be very difficult, since France has no tradition of such agreements.

The deal could take the form of a loose, informal alliance that is likely to be fragile.

Macron has said he will not work with the far-left France Unconquered party, but perhaps he could lend a hand to the socialists and the greens. However, they may refuse to accept this offer.

Last week, Makron's government suspended a decree that would have limited workers' rights to receive unemployment benefits, which was interpreted as a gesture towards the left.

If the owner of the Elysee Palace cannot agree on a political deal, Macron could appoint a technical government made up of experts not affiliated with political parties. Such a government would likely deal mostly with the day-to-day business of keeping France running.

The situation is complicated, however, by the fact that any of these options would require parliamentary approval.

Another problem: heterogeneity the left-wing bloc that came out on top in the election.

The left has been torn by divisions in recent months, especially after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Mélenchon's Insoumise has come under fire from other, more moderate leftists for its stance on the conflict. Far-left leaders have strongly condemned Israel's conduct of the war on Hamas and accused it of committing genocide against the Palestinians. They have faced accusations of anti-Semitism, which they vehemently deny.

The Socialists ran independently in last month's European Union elections, winning about 14% of the vote, while Insoumise got less than 10% and the Greens 5.5%.

However, Macron's decision to call early parliamentary elections pushed the leaders of the left to quickly agree on the formation of a new coalition — the New Popular Front, recalls the Associated Press.

Their joint platform promises to raise the minimum wage from 1,400 to 1,600 euros, cancel Macron's pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, and frozen prices for basic food and energy products. All this causes concern for financial markets.

Current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would resign on Monday. He also stated that he is ready to remain in his post during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and for as long as necessary. An interim government will handle day-to-day affairs pending further political negotiations.

Macron's office says he will “wait for the new National Assembly to organize itself” before making any decisions on the new government.

There is no clear time frame for when Macron must appoint a prime minister, and there is no clear rule that he must appoint a prime minister from the largest party in parliament.

Well, what about Macron?

< p>The president's term will last until 2027, and he has said he will not resign before it ends.

Without a majority and the ability to implement his plans, Macron — and therefore his supporters — is leaving by the time elections weakened.

Under the French constitution, he still has some powers in the fields of foreign policy, European affairs and defense, and is also responsible for negotiating and ratifying international treaties. The President of the Republic is also the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces and holds the nuclear codes.

There is a possibility that the new prime minister will be unable or unwilling to seriously challenge Macron's defense and foreign policy efforts and will instead focus on domestic policy .

The Prime Minister is accountable to parliament, heads the government and introduces bills.