France's Macron loses parliamentary majority, putting his economic reform agenda at risk
CNBCSep 09, 2022
The Facts
Two months after his re-election, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance suffered a severe setback in the second round of parliamentary elections on Sunday.
According to the preliminary results, Macron's Ensemble alliance secured 245 seats, falling well short of the 289 needed to keep its dominance in the French National Assembly.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This is a blow for Macron, who now has to face a "parliamentary guerrilla" of the EU- and NATO-skeptic NUPES alliance, not to mention the far-right RN. But it may be a blessing for France, as Macron now has no choice but to engage more directly with people's concerns and practice the art of compromise. The end result will be a stronger, more united country.
Pro-establishment narrative
Macron's second term will certainly be even more challenging now that he no longer has a parliamentary majority. Nevertheless, this result simply shows that French politics are divided into centrists, radical leftists, and far-right nationalists, and reinforces the centrist Ensemble's important role as the biggest party in the National Assembly.
