Macron marches on with absolute majority
Shock verdict on socialists, Front National and ecologists as new parliament has 75% of new faces and 39% of women
President Macron’s La République en Marche party has won an absolute majority in the legislative elections, meaning that with 308 MPs it can govern even without the support of its minority partners Modem.
The second round of the elections saw a complete transformation of parliament with 75% of new faces – but, also, a record number of women, with 225, against 155 in the old parliament.
It was also elected by fewer than one voter in two, with a record number of abstentions which hit 57.36%. Some political analysts have called for the elections to be held on the same days as the presidential elections to prevent electoral ‘fatigue’.
Today the interim government of Edouard Philippe is expected to resign in a procedural move with the majority of ministers being reappointed later.
Mr Philippe said on TV that ‘abstentionism is never good for democracy’ but the upswing in the economy and in consumer confidence leaves the government with the responsibility to deliver results.
Although the results of the 11 overseas seats will not be known until later today, the new government of LREM and Modem has 351 seats and well above the majority of 289.
LREM’s sudden rise has sparked the virtual disappearance of the Parti Socialiste, decimated to just 29 MPs against the 280 it won in 2012. It has also devastated Nicolas Sarkozy-led Les Républicains who, with their allies UDI and DVD, have 137 seats.
Devastation, too, for Marine Le Pen’s Front National where, despite Ms Le Pen being elected with seven others, the party’s hopes of having up to 40 MPs fell apart. The low number of MPs means the FN cannot set up a parliamentary group and benefit from funding.
Despite having a high-profile ecology minister in former TV presenter Nicolas Hulot, the Europe Écologie-Les Verts have now practically disappeared from parliament with only one MP, Éric Alauzet, Doubs.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise won 17 seats, including his own in Marseille, while the Parti Communiste took 10.
Many former ministers lost their seats, including Marisol Touraine, Jean-Jacques Urvoas, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Myriam El Khomri as well as former Sarkozy minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.
