Emmanuel Macron has taken many risks in his political career despite numerous crises, but his decision to call early elections is a big risk that will damage his legacy and usher in an era of extremism.
The turmoil caused by Macron’s dissolution of the National Assembly after his centrist party’s crushing defeat in European elections remains, with even those close to the president acknowledging discomfort with the political upheaval.
On Sunday, the right-wing National Rally (RN) won the first round of legislative elections.
Macron’s longtime rival Marine Le Pen’s party could win the prime minister’s post for the first time after the second round of voting next week on July 7, potentially leading to a tense “coexistence”.
Macron’s popularity has fallen so much that allies have suggested he step back from the election campaign, and let Prime Minister Gabriel Attal lead the way.
For many of Macron’s most loyal supporters, some of the resentment has been fueled by his unexpected arrival to the presidency.
“His success has created a desire for revenge among politicians angry,” said Francois Patriat, head of pro-Macron lawmakers in the upper house, the Senate.
Macron, as always defiant, stressed in a statement when the first results were published how important this vote is for “all our countrymen and their desire to clarify the political situation.”
‘Hopelessly optimistic’
Born in Amiens to two doctors, Macron met his future wife Brigitte when she was his teacher and 25 years his senior.
“When he was 16, he fell in love with his drama teacher, and he said he would marry her, and then he married her. That’s a very strong thing,” said a former classmate at the prestigious graduate school ENA.
With the same confidence, he left former President François Hollande’s government in August 2016 to prepare for his presidential run, a risky move at the time.
He formed a political movement called En Marche (On the Move), which bore the same name as its leader, and won the presidential election in 2017 at the age of 39.
Describing himself as a “hopeless optimist”, Macron later said he had succeeded because “France was unhappy and worried”.
Optimism about the former Rothschild investment banker, who once promoted a “revolution” in his book, quickly evaporated over his economic policies once he came into office.
The former economy minister under the Socialist government earned a reputation as the “president of the rich” after announcing early in his term that he would abolish taxes on high earners.
Then, last year, his move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 sparked mass protests and reinforced the perception that Macron was out of touch with public opinion.
“A lot of people think I’m arrogant,” he said. Early jokes bothered him, including one that said the unemployed just had to “cross the street” to get a job.
Now the 46-year-old French president believes his economic record speaks for itself, with France being Europe’s most attractive country for foreign investment and mass unemployment having ended.
But for many, Macron’s promise of centrism has not stood up to a wave of domestic and international crises — or pressure from the far right.
‘Lack of humility’
The anti-government “Yellow Vest” movement, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are just some of the challenges faced during Macron’s tenure.
Even though his support is waning domestically, Macron remains a prominent voice in European politics.
“We shouldn’t debate. He is the great European of his time,” said Franco-German ecologist Daniel Cohn-Bendit, adding that Macron’s problem is that he is “convinced he is right.”
Macron aligned himself with allies who backed Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion, but he upset many by continuing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Two years later, however, some continue to criticise his aggressive stance. Macron has refused to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, while other Western countries have criticised the move as unnecessarily provocative.
The late Gérard Collomb, the former mayor of Lyon, was more direct in his criticism, accusing Macron of “arrogance” and the government of a “lack of humility.”
The perception that Macron is increasingly isolated is part of the problem, one former adviser said.
“He has no grassroots network… the people around him are the same, they do not express the mood of the times,” he said.
While the first lady is seen as a moderate figure, Macron has moved to the right, and some accuse the president of opportunism.
‘Changing opinions’
On the evening of his victory in 2017, Macron vowed in front of the Louvre Museum that he would do everything in his power to ensure French people no longer had a reason to vote for extremists.
For many, however, the young centrists they voted for have moved further right, opening the way for other extremists.
The same man who drew inspiration from the anti-capitalist party’s slogan to win re-election in 2022 later adopted the words of far-right figure Eric Zemmour “so that France remains France”.
For Le Pen, who senses a chance to take over the presidency in 2027, Macron has “a resilience, an incredible self-confidence that is both his strength and weakness”.
A former special adviser sees that flexibility differently.
“He is turning his back on 2017 and humanist values,” said Philippe Granjon. “There is no right-wing tilt… the president is adapting to changing opinions.”
Macron dismisses these criticisms, saying he ultimately relies on himself. “You make the most difficult decisions yourself,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)