Left capitalises on Macron’s ‘desperately flat’ campaign

EMMANUEL MACRON’S aides are increasingly concerned about his camp’s “desperately flat” parliamentary election campaign, after a poll suggested his party and its centrist partners may not secure an absolute majority on June 19.

The Ifop-fiducial group survey suggested Mr Macron’s Ensemble (Together) coalition would win between 275 and 310 seats in the vote – 289 is needed for a majority. Meanwhile, Leftwing parties led by Jean-luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) were making gains and could win between 170 and 205 seats, the poll suggested.

Mr Macron, who has kept a low profile since his re-election on April 24, has delayed all reforms until after the tworound election on June 12 and 19, and one party executive told Franceinfo: “This campaign is desperately flat.”

Although experts have warned that polls are unreliable at this stage in the campaign, Aurore Berge, a senior MP in Mr Macron’s coalition, said they remain a real concern.

Conceding that Mr Mélenchon’s coalition of Greens, Socialists and Communists, was the only “strong and credible” alternative, she told TV channel France 2 on Thursday: “We’re taking it seriously because in the media and in the polls the only person who exists, apart from the presidential majority, is Jeanluc Mélenchon.”

Mr Mélenchon appears confident he will be France’s next prime minister – though polls suggest his Nupes coalition stands virtually no chance of winning outright.

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party would make gains of between 25 and 49 seats if the vote were held today, while the traditional Right-wing Republicans party would end up with 39 to 62 seats.