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Macron’s Party Cruising to Resounding Win in French Vote Macron’s Party on Track to Claim Majority in France’s Parliament
(about 3 hours later)
PARIS — French voters gave a resounding victory to the still untested party of the newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron, in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, dealing another crushing blow to France’s traditional parties. PARIS — French voters resoundingly embraced the still untested party of the newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron, in Sunday’s first round of parliamentary elections, dealing another humiliating blow to France’s traditional parties.
Based on returns from 86 percent of France’s 577 districts, it appeared likely that candidates for Mr. Macron’s party, La République en Marche, would receive 28 percent of the votes for the National Assembly, the powerful lower house of the French Parliament. Based on returns from 97 percent of France’s 577 districts, it appeared likely that candidates for Mr. Macron’s party, La République en Marche, would receive 28 percent of the votes for the National Assembly, the powerful lower house of Parliament, meaning that it appears on track to win a majority of seats, according to the Interior Ministry website.
If that holds up, it will complete a remarkable 14 months during which Mr. Macron formed his own party, humbled France’s main Socialist and Republican parties and repelled the far-right challenge of Marine Le Pen and the National Front at a time of rising right-wing nationalism and populism. The party’s commanding lead in the first round of voting completes a remarkable 14 months in which Mr. Macron formed his own party, humbled France’s main Socialist and Republican Parties, and repelled the far-right challenge of Marine Le Pen’s National Front at a time of rising right-wing nationalism and populism.
With an apparent majority in Parliament, the 39-year-old president will be in a strong position to enact his pro-business agenda — although nothing is certain until next week’s second-round vote.With an apparent majority in Parliament, the 39-year-old president will be in a strong position to enact his pro-business agenda — although nothing is certain until next week’s second-round vote.
“France is back,” Edouard Philippe, the prime minister for Mr. Macron, said after the strong vote for his party, though he lamented the relatively light turnout. “France is back,” Edouard Philippe, the prime minister for Mr. Macron, said after the strong vote for the president’s party, though he lamented the relatively light turnout, about 49 percent of the voting public cast ballots, according to the Interior Ministry.
“Despite the abstention, the message of the French has no ambiguity: For the third consecutive time millions of you confirmed your attachment to the president of the Republic’s project to renew, unite and win back.” “Despite the abstention, the message of the French has no ambiguity: For the third consecutive time, millions of you confirmed your attachment to the president of the republic’s project to renew, unite and win back,” said Mr. Philippe, whom Mr. Macron brought in from the mainstream, right-leaning Republican Party.
Those candidates garnering 50 percent or more of the votes in their districts will be declared the winner. But given the large number of candidates for each seat, most of the top vote getters will face a runoff next Sunday. Those candidates garnering 50 percent or more of the votes in their districts will be declared the winners. But given the large number of candidates for each seat, and the low turnout, most of the top vote getters will face a runoff next Sunday. To claim a majority in Parliament, candidates supporting Mr. Macron will need to win at least 289 seats. Failing that, he has formed an alliance with the centrist Democratic Movement to help ensure a majority. However, as things now stand, it appears all but certain that the president will have a majority — and potentially a large one.
To claim a majority in Parliament, candidates supporting Mr. Macron will need to win at least 289 seats. Failing that, he has formed an alliance with the centrist Democratic Movement to help assure a majority. However, as things now stand, it appears all but certain that the president will have a majority — and potentially a large one. Parties on the extreme right and left seemed to be faring poorly, gaining far fewer votes nationwide than they had in the first round of the presidential election, on April 23. Returns showed that the National Front would take about 13.5 percent of the vote, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftist France Unbowed Party was expected to win just 11 percent.
Parties on the extreme right and left seemed to be faring badly, gaining far fewer votes nationwide than they had in the first round of the presidential election, on April 23. Pollsters said that Ms. Le Pen’s far-right National Front would take about 14 percent of the vote while Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftist France Unbowed Party was expected to win just 11 percent of the votes. At the same time, the traditional parties on the left and the right have been weakened, with the Socialists looking particularly feeble. Having controlled Parliament for the last five years, the Socialists were expected to win just 7.4 percent of the vote in the legislative elections this year. The Republicans and their allies fared better, but with just shy of 22 percent of the vote, they were a distant second to Mr. Macron’s party.
At the same time, the traditional parties on the left and the right have been weakened, with the Socialists looking particularly feeble. Having controlled the Parliament over the last five years, the Socialists were expected to win just 10 percent of the vote this year. The Republicans fared better, with their projected 21 percent share the highest after Mr. Macron’s party. Other parties’ leaders blamed the historically low turnout for their poor showing and said it masked the depth of the divisions in France’s political landscape.
Because of differences between the districts, nationwide vote totals do not translate into a set number of seats in the Parliament. There are frequently runoffs with two, three or four candidates, since anyone taking more than 12.5 percent of the eligible voters in a district can compete in the second round. “Today, one in every two French people voted, a record abstention rate not seen since 1958,” said François Baroin, a senior Republican official. “This testifies to persistent fractures in French society.”
Over all, however, the legislative elections appeared to have engendered less enthusiasm than both the presidential elections a few weeks ago and recent legislative elections. Mr. Baroin suggested that voters were so enamored of Mr. Macron that they failed to scrutinize his program. “The French need to know that En Marche wants a fiscal shock,” he said, adding that the Republicans would fight efforts to raise taxes.
This year, according to exit polls, about 50 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the legislative elections, compared with 57 percent in 2012 and 60 percent in 2007. Many of Ms. Le Pen’s and Mr. Mélenchon’s voters — both have heavily working-class and pink-collar constituencies — did not go to the polls, suggesting that many will not be represented in the National Assembly.
Whatever the outcome, what is most striking about this election is how a nation that a year ago seemed to be on the verge of being swept up in the right-wing populist and nationalist wave in Europe has instead given a wide-armed embrace to Mr. Macron, a centrist and unabashed globalist who has called for weakening France’s protective labor laws and potentially reducing some retirement benefits for some workers. Because of differences between the districts, nationwide vote totals do not translate into a set number of seats in Parliament. There are frequently runoffs with two, three or four candidates, since anyone taking more than 12.5 percent of the eligible votes in a district can compete in the second round.
The election — if a majority of Mr. Macron’s candidates win in the runoff, as it appears they will — seems to reflect the voters’ readiness to get on with his agenda. Over all, however, the legislative elections engendered less enthusiasm than the presidential elections a few weeks ago and legislative elections in recent years.
The French president needs a majority in the National Assembly, the French Parliament, to pass legislation. With a strong showing for his party even in the first round, it suggests the French are signaling that they are ready to give his ideas a try. However, France has elected a series of presidents promising to change its labor and pension laws — both Nicolas Sarkozy on the right and François Hollande on the left made similar proposals — only to find that many in France turned against them when they tried to follow through with the changes. Turnout this year was lower than in the past two legislative elections, 57 percent in 2012 and 60 percent in 2007.
In the past several elections, there was no question that once the French voted for a president, they would vote for his party in the legislature to assure him a majority. Whatever the outcome, a nation that a year ago seemed to be on the verge of being swept up in an anti-European, anti-immigrant wave has instead rallied behind Mr. Macron, a centrist and unabashed globalist who has called for weakening France’s protective labor laws, changing tax laws and reducing retirement benefits for some workers.
However, in the case of Mr. Macron, that was initially in doubt. In 2012, Mr. Hollande’s Socialist Party and its allies won 40 percent of the votes in the first round and in 2007 Mr. Sarkozy’s Republican Party and its allies won 46 percent; they both won majorities in the second round. If a majority of Mr. Macron’s candidates win in the runoff, as it appears they will, the election seems to reflect the voters’ readiness to get on with his agenda — at least those who showed up at the polls. The French president needs a majority in the National Assembly to pass legislation. However, France has elected a series of presidents promising to change its labor and pension laws — both Nicolas Sarkozy on the right and François Hollande on the left, for example — only to find their support wane when they tried to follow through.
Like Mr. Macron, both men had won the presidency for the first time just weeks before the legislative vote. In Mr. Macron’s case, however, that was initially in doubt. His La République en Marche movement was founded only about 14 months ago, and his core idea of combining proposals from the left and the right of the political spectrum in pursuit of a common agenda was slow to take off. In the past several elections, there was no question that once the French voted for a president, they would vote for his party in the legislature to ensure him a majority. In 2012, Mr. Hollande’s Socialist Party and its allies won 40 percent of the votes in the first round, and in 2007 Mr. Sarkozy’s Republican Party and its allies won 46 percent; they both won majorities in the second round.
Another reason to question whether he could gain a majority in Parliament was his central campaign promise to bring in many newcomers from civil society as candidates. He was good to his word, but that meant running candidates in many districts who had little or no name recognition. Like Mr. Macron, both men had won the presidency for the first time just weeks before the legislative vote. In Mr. Macron’s case, however, that was initially in doubt. His République en Marche movement was founded about 14 months ago, and his core idea of combining proposals from the left and the right in pursuit of a common agenda was slow to take off.
But this seems not to have been a factor. The attraction of candidates untainted by politics seems to have outweighed the drawbacks of running a slate of virtual unknowns.
There seems to be so much enthusiasm for Mr. Macron’s promise to bring a new political climate and an agenda that will bring growth to France that people are eager to support his candidates almost no matter what.