“Third half”: The race for the legislative elections in France is unleashed at full speed

48 hours after Macron’s victory, in France, the “third period” began to be chaotic for legislative elections in June. Only then will there really be a definitive government. Everyone seeks to regenerate their forces be majority or the biggest opposition and the president evaluates who he is going to appoint a prime minister before the legislative

can’t go wrong. There were at least 5 candidates in question: two women among them. Christine Lagarde, former director of the IMF, and Elizabeth Borne, the current Macron Employment Minister. But whoever he chooses must be a pledge of reconciliation and cannot be a techocrat or hyper liberal but a character with a political personality.

The third was Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie, a friend of Macron. But those three names are much more alike. They do not provide any political calm.

Other promoted for the Hôtel de Matignon, the residence of the premier, include the Minister of Finance, Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, a right-winger even for the Macronists, or Richard Ferrand, a former journalist, head of in March and president of the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said resign with the governmentwhich will allow Macron to select a new face and team for his second five-year term.

There is no margin of error

Macron will need his party, The Republic of the Marche!and their allies reach the majority to prevent the formation of a hostile government that could cripple its program.

The task of appointing a new prime minister and a new cabinet becomes particularly difficult, as Macron will seek to attract voters from the radical leftwho supported Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round of the presidential election, and would avoid isolating Le Pen’s supporters.

Macron is facing charges in show that he is president of “all French”, after getting 58.54%, compared to Le Pen’s 41.46%, of the vote in Sunday’s runoff election.

His victory will be officially confirmed by the country’s Constitutional Council on Wednesday. Castex may be asked to remain as prime minister until the end of the legislative election. But it doesn’t seem to be.

A Harris Interactive poll on Monday predicted Macron’s party would win 326 to 366 seatsan absolute majority in the 577-seat National Assembly, with 117 to 147 seats for the far-right parties, and the left extending between 73 and 93 seats.

Three political forces emerged in France after the decline of the traditionally conservative Republicans and the middle left Socialist Party. They were a pro-European center, represented by Macron’s LREM, flanked by a radical left, led by Mélenchon, and the extreme right led by Marine Le Pen.

Voters who reject Macron but find it difficult to swallow the extremes, including the Greens, They have to choose a side.

The race to be premier

Jean Luc Mélenchon and his Rebellious they want to get a parliamentary majority and the National Assembly is forcing the president to accept the radical leader of France Insumisa as his prime minister.

They seek to unite the left. So. they talk to the communists, to the greens and to the socialists, who resisted the former socialist who left the party and radicalized himself as a populist far left. Not everyone wants to negotiate with him.

Former socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal promoting reunion. Former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who appointed Mélenchon as minister, points to the dangers.

“President played with fire. He would have been burned without the responsible vote of his Republican opponents, “former Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin told the Le Parisien newspaper on Tuesday.” Marine Le Pen’s victory was an earthquake, a threat to the rule of law. and a fracture in Europe, “he warned.

“On the left, the role of a dominant force is to unite. Because it didn’t, Jean Luc Mélenchon has met a new glorious failure. He had the opportunity to learn from this lesson as he expected, with a little optimism, evoke a legislative residenceJospin explained.

“In the long run, it’s true that he was unsure of some issues and Francia Insumisa’s style was mostly left,” Jospin explained, after warning that his socialist party’s situation was “serious.”

“It would certainly be positive for him to be part of an electoral agreement for the entire left, provided we federate with our allies, with the radical left, with his communists and environmental neighbors,” he said. he continued.

Ang legislative of June 12 and 19 they are the last possibility of what Mélenchon calls “the famous pole” to extend the leftthat’s your project.

Whether he is able to be premier or be the main force of the opposition will force President Macron to change his agenda. Finally, those Republican Mélenchonist votes was able to restrain Marine Le Pen and give Macron victory and he has a recognized debt to them.

Everything will be discussion: retirement reform at age 65 will be the first transaction. “You have to be brave” maintains a rebel representative.

So the next one May 1 will be important in France. will do the left a display of strength on the street, on labor day.

Where does the right go?

Republicans seek to rebuild their forces and strengthen themselves in the National Assembly. Avoid desertions and recreate differences. In the midst of a brutal internal battle for campaign debts which left its candidate, Valerie Pecresse, a loan from 5 million euros to be paid in May.

The Republican meeting was chaotic but polite. The head of deputies Damien Abad said the diversity of positions should be respected.

Two groups are divided: those seeking an “independent” line in the National Assembly, led by Christian Jacob, and a minority, seeking a collaboration with Emmanuel Macron. The loser in the presidential elections, Pecresse, said “she will be on the side of whoever asks for it.”

Macron’s challenge

France is dangerously divided along the lines of economic and generational fault. Most blue-collar workers, and more than four in 10 voters in general, joined Le Pen. Sa the best percentage in the history of the French extreme rightthis allowed Le Pen to declare that his participation in the vote was a “self -success”.

To fulfill his aspirations of overcoming the divisions, Macron had to do more. After the Covid economy, Macron must also recognize that much more needs to be done to protect and improve the living standards of insecure workers and youth, who Mélenchon voted for in the majority.

As he contemplates five more years in office, Macron must realize that he has not been given a term but another chance to reconcile with France and not be seen as “the president of the rich.”

Paris, correspondent

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