the French presidency in 2017 at the age of 39, Emmanuel Macron triumphed in France’s big cities. In Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg he topped first-round voting, and grabbed over 81% of the run-off vote against the nationalist Marine Le Pen. The former economy minister, who enthused about tech startups and modernising France, was a natural candidate for bike-riding metropolitans.
In some ways, a setback was to be expected. Mr Macron is unpopular. This was an opportunity for a mid-term protest vote. And the country has suffered over 29,000 deaths linked to covid-19. Partly because of worries about the virus, the abstention rate, at 58%, was a record high. Yet at last year’s European elections the president’s party nonetheless came in a respectable second place.
This dismal result leaves Mr Macron with two dilemmas. One is how to respond to the surge of the Greens in his electoral base. Often backed by the Socialists, they scored striking victories in big cities, including Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. Lockdown, which let people hear silence interspersed with birdsong in car-free cities for the first time in decades, may have played a part. In Paris, where the Greens backed the re-elected mayor, Ms Hidalgo has been a longtime anti-car crusader.
Mindful of this flourishing greenery, Mr Macron on June 29th promised a “profound change of philosophy”. In a speech to mark the close of France’s 150-member citizens’ assembly, an experiment in direct democracy designed to devise measures to combat climate change, he vowed to take up 146 of its 149 ideas. In the run-up to the presidential election in 2022 it will not be easy for the Greens to match their success in car-averse cities with countrywide appeal.
The second question is what to do about his insolently popular prime minister, Edouard Philippe, who comes from the centre-right. Presidents have traditionally used their prime ministers as a shield, disposing of them when they outlive their usefulness. Yet Mr Philippe is more popular than his boss, and was elected mayor of Le Havre with a resounding 59% of the vote.
GerardAraud They voted massively Conservative.
Very good title, that’s it exactly, in an integrative circular way, Paris dress up in green healthy, natural vibrating with happiness Sir, try it !
I am sorry but can't look beyond how closed drawn in are his eyes towards his nose😳 What am I? A facialist🤔
Was this picture of Macron taken from a real-time press-conference acknowledging defeat, or is it an image pic from your files?!?
For the future.
After having heard the rich people, The Economist has voted for Neoliberalism.
As France is reversed colonised by natives from former foreign overseas French territories from Corsica to Quebec to French Caledonia to Libya to Syria. French Natives like him will be rare in France soon!
يصوتون للإصلاح وخليه يشبع ويلعب ب دى👇
The Economist really out here acting like people are so dumb that they voted Green because they liked the pretty birds and not because the Greens will be the ones to save us from the climate crisis
The french will be out voted in time, they have lost their country, they will become refugees
Ew.
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