However, as you know, the French tend to vote with their hearts in the first round and with their heads in the second. That is, in the first round, when nothing is usually decided, they vote for whoever they want, and in the second round, for whoever they “need.” In fact, this is what Macron was betting on, risking early elections against the backdrop of the surprising success of Marine Le Pen’s national rally in the vote for the new composition of the European Parliament.
But even with this tradition in mind, the risk this time is very high. Firstly, this time even the Left and the Greens united, which they had never done before: the contradictions between these forces are very great. However, Macron managed to do the impossible: to bring together disparate and irreconcilable politicians on the left flank. As a result, the New Popular Front received 28%, taking second place. And although the Left has already declared that it is ready to remove its candidates in those constituencies where they took third place, in order to prevent the victory of the far right, the alliance is capable of competing for a significant number of its own seats in the National Assembly. Secondly, the Right is also serious, it has worked on its image and is trying to position itself as a serious force, capable of creating rather than destroying.
Be that as it may, the first round turned out to be a clear vote of no confidence towards Macron and his political direction. “The Macron era is over,” former president Francois Hollande said on the eve of the vote. The president’s resignation, of course, will not occur under any circumstances. However, it is already clear that his policy has the support of only one in five French people, as demonstrated by the first “sincere” vote in parliament.
Source: Telegram account of Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev.
