Macron pushes EU agenda
National Assembly results bolsters French presidency
PARIS // French president Emmanuel Macron was poised to forge ahead with pro-EU, business- friendly reforms yesterday after his party’s victory in parliamentary elections. Mr Macron’s Republique en Marche party and its centrist ally, MoDem, won 350 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly after Sunday’s run-off vote.
The result means Republique en Marche can, if necessary, govern without the support of MoDem, which won 42 seats. The election was closely watched to see if France’s youngest leader yet would secure a mandate to push through his pro-European Union reform agenda.
The party that Mr Macron, 39, founded 14 months ago has caused a political earthquake, despite its 350-seat tally being considerably lower than the 470 predicted by some pundits in pre-election polls. “A profoundly renewed political generation takes over the reins of legislative power,” wrote editorialist Alexis Brezet in the right-wing Le Figaro newspaper. Mr Macron wants to use his majority in parliament to pursue his agenda of changing labour laws and overhauling France’s social security system.
He has had little resistance against his intention to use executive orders to push through reforms without parliamentary debate, although street protests against the erosion of workers’ rights – such as those seen last year – are considered likely.
The parliamentary boost from the polls also strengthens Mr Macron’s hand on the European stage as the EU heads into negotiations on Britain’s departure from the bloc, which got under way yesterday.