Macron marches on

Macron marches on

His newbie party wins parliamentary majority, sets stage for a new French revolution.
In what has truly been a grand slam of electoral success, French President Emmanuel Macron's party En Marche! has won a commanding majority in parliamentary polls. Just a month after Macron won the French presidency on a centrist, pro-reform and business-friendly platform, En Marche! and its allies have picked up around 350 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly. True, that En Marche! was only formed 15 months ago and Macron himself fought his first election at the presidential polls means that the French political leadership today is dominated by upstarts. But it also means that Macron has the requisite mandate to push through reforms to overhaul the burdensome French welfare state ¬ to actually revamp the ancien regime.
The only thing that somewhat dims the En Marche! victory is a record low voter turnout. But this can also be put down to the disillusionment with traditional parties, both on the right and left. In fact, the parliamentary polls dealt a heavy blow to Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front ¬ even though her party was seen to be dominant only a few months ago.
Meanwhile, the Socialist Party that dominated the outgoing assembly has been hammered down to less than 50 seats. Overall France is charting a positive political path even as the Anglo-Saxon world looks for comfort in nostalgia-driven populist politics. All of this really sets the stage for a transformative Macron presidency. He has promised to overhaul labour rules, ease hiring and firing, cut public-sector overhang, and invest heavily in jobs training. These measures are meant to impart fresh energy to the French economy and rein in the unemployment rate which hovers just below 10%.
An open, economically stronger France will be a huge asset for EU, especially now when Brexit talks have begun. In fact, if German Chancellor Angela Merkel is successful in securing another term later this year, she and Macron can partner to make Germany and France the load pillars of a new Europe. But for that to happen, Macron and En Marche! need to move fast. They have successfully navigated the anti-establishment wave in France and offered a message of hope. They must now capitalise on the opportunities and execute their vision of a dynamic, strong and liberal France. That would truly be akin to a new French revolution.
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