Paris:
Emmanuel Macron took many risks in a political career marked by numerous crises, but his decision to call early elections could be too much, damaging his legacy and ushering in an era of extremes.
The tremors caused by Macron’s dissolution of the National Assembly, after his centrist party suffered a defeat in European polls, remain strong, with even figures close to the president acknowledging discomfort with the political turmoil.
The far-right National Rally (RN) won the first round of the legislative elections on Sunday.
The results of next week’s second round on July 7 could give the party of Macron’s longtime rival Marine Le Pen the premiership for the first time, forcing a tense “cohabitation.”
Macron’s popularity has fallen to the point that allies have suggested he take a backseat in the campaign, with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal leading the way.
For one of Macron’s most loyal supporters, part of the resentment stems from his unexpected rise to the presidency.
“There is a desire for revenge on the part of politicians who resent their success,” said François Patriat, head of pro-Macron deputies in the upper chamber of the Senate.
Always defiant, Macron insisted in a statement when the first results were published about “the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation”.
‘Desperate optimist’
Born in Amiens to two doctors, Macron met his future wife, Brigitte, when she was his teacher and 25 years his senior.
“He fell in love with his drama teacher when he was 16 and said he was going to marry her, and then he married her. That’s a really powerful thing,” said a former classmate at the elite ENA graduate school.
With the same self-confidence, he left the government of former president François Hollande in August 2016 to prepare his candidacy for president, a risky move at the time.
He created En Marche (In Movement), a political movement with the same initials as its leader and won the presidential elections in 2017 at the age of 39.
Calling himself an “incurable optimist,” Macron later said he managed to move forward “because France was unhappy and worried.”
Optimism about the former Rothschild investment banker, who once promoted the “Revolution” in his book, quickly soured about his economic policies when he took office.
The former Economy Minister of a socialist government gained a reputation as a “president of the rich” after announcing at the beginning of his term that he would abolish a tax on high earners.
Then, last year, his decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 sparked mass protests and reinforced the perception that Macron is out of touch with public opinion.
“There are a lot of people who think I’m arrogant,” he said. Early jokes haunted him, including one when he said the unemployed only needed to “cross the street” to find a job.
The man, now 46, is convinced that his economic record speaks for itself, with France considered the most attractive country in Europe for foreign investment and the end of mass unemployment.
But for many, Macron’s promise of centrism could not withstand pressure from a wave of national and international crises – or 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 Macron faced during his term in office.
Even as his support dwindles at home, Macron remains a key voice in European politics.
“We shouldn’t argue. He is the great European of his time,” said French-German ecologist Daniel Cohn-Bendit, adding that Macron’s problem was that he was “convinced he was right.”
Macron aligned himself with allies who offered support to Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion, but angered many by continuing to interact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Two years later, however, some criticize him for his aggressive stance. Macron refuses to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, a move criticized by other Western countries as unnecessarily inflammatory.
The late Gerard Collomb, former mayor of Lyon, was more direct in his criticism, drawing attention to Macron’s “arrogance” and the “lack of humility” in government.
The perception that Macron is increasingly isolated is part of the problem, a former aide said.
“He doesn’t have a grassroots network… the people around him are the same, they don’t express the mood of the times,” they added.
Although the first lady is seen as a moderating figure, Macron has moved to the right, with some accusing the president of opportunism.
‘Changing minds’
On the night of his victory in 2017, Macron promised in front of the Louvre museum to do “everything” in his power to ensure that the French “no longer have reasons to vote for the extremes”.
For many, however, the young centrist they voted for has moved increasingly to the right, opening the door for other extremes to establish themselves.
The same man who was inspired by an anti-capitalist party slogan to win re-election in 2022 later adopted the words of far-right figure Eric Zemmour “so that France continues to be France”.
For Le Pen, who feels the opportunity to assume the presidency in 2027, Macron has “a plasticity, an incredible self-confidence that is both his strength and his weakness”.
A former special advisor sees this plasticity differently.
“He is turning his back on… 2017 and humanist values,” said Philippe Grangeon. “There is no shift to the right… the president is adapting to changes in opinion.”
Macron rejects this criticism, saying he ultimately trusts himself. “You make the hardest decisions on your own,” he said.
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