Election: Macron warns against choosing “extremes”

10 Jun 2022

Parliamentary elections are coming up in France on Sunday, with allies of President Macron hoping to hold a majority as competition steps up from a new left-wing coalition.

The elections for the 577 seats in the lower house National Assembly will take place over two rounds, with the second round taking place the following Sunday 19th June.

Macron said the stakes were high, cautioning France against opting for "extremes" which would add "crisis to crisis".

"Nothing would be more dangerous than adding a French disorder on top of a world disorder, as proposed by extremists," Macron said on Thursday.

The president’s centrist alliance Ensemble retains an overall majority, and will continue governing as before. Yet should the left-wing alliance take victory – which analysts view as unlikely – this would be a major setback for Macron.

Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has unveiled his aim to become prime minister and hinder Macron’s plan to hike the retirement age in France. The president would, however, remain in control of foreign policy.

Macron was re-elected as President in April, yet he required a majority in the lower house of parliament to implement reforms designed to bolster the economy, such as the aforementioned pension changes and slashing taxes, Reuters reports.

According to the latest opinion poll by Ipsos, Macron’s alliance would win 275 to 315 seats, yet to ensure an absolute majority, 289 seats are required. "An absolute majority is not assured but the presidential majority does have a certain margin" that will be an advantage in the second round the following week.

The top two candidates in a constituency, along with others who gained support from 12.5% of voters, will proceed to the second round.