It will also be a test for his pro-EU views. Unlike other French elections, EU ones have only one round.
Changes in France
Instead of eight regional constituencies, this year there is just a single “national constituency”. It means voters choose from a candidates list based on political preference.
The change was voted through by parliament last year. At the time, it was criticised by MPs from the right-wing Les Républicains (LR) party. They said it was done to benefit LREM as it lacked strong list leaders for all eight constituencies.
They said it will make MEPs more distant from territories.
If people want to contact an MEP about an issue they will be advised to check what committees French MEPs sit on, rather than contacting one for their area (see tinyurl.com/y35z2k3u and tinyurl.com/y4znhjs4).
It means each political grouping has one list and one tête de liste, which has made it easier to hold televised debates.
Single constituencies are used by all EU states, apart from the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Italy.
The government claims it will make more people interested in the elections.
Each list contains the same number of names as European Parliament seats allocated to France and, after the election, seats are shared out among lists, starting from the top, by proportional representation.
It had been thought that this time France would have 79 MEPs, up from 74, as a result of Brexit, but with the UK set to take part in elections, this is not now expected to be the case.
Elections in 2014 saw the Front National (now Rassemblement National) win the most votes, followed by the UMP (the forerunner to Les Républicains).
The big picture
This year’s election follows the migration crisis of 2015, the Brexit vote of 2016 and the election of Mr Macron in 2017.
It is the first nationwide election since then and comes in the context of the gilets jaunes protests and the grand débat.
As in the UK, the election is likely to be polarised in terms of pro-EU or Eurosceptic views, although Rassemblement National (RN) no longer officially wants to abandon the euro or leave the EU.
LREM has 23% of French support, the RN is on 22%, then LR with 13%. Then come EELV (Greens) with 8% and La France Insoumise at 7.5% (plus less popular lists), according to a recent BVA survey.
The main lists
LREM’s “Renaissance” list is headed by former Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau, (pictured left), who suffered a media battering after it emerged she was on a far-right student representative election list 35 years ago.
She said she was unaware of the list’s political leanings at the time and joined for a friend.
Her list claims to be “progressive”, with members from seven EU nationalities standing for a “renewed” EU.
It opposes nationalism and populism as, it says, they are a risk to the European project, which it considers vital to France’s prosperity and position in the world. Dealing with migration and ecological challenges are among its concerns.
The RN list is headed by Jordan Bardella, a 23-year-old of Italian origin who is a regional councillor for Ile-de-France.
Its policies include abolishing the European Commission, and re-establishing border controls.
The Les Républicains group, headed by a deputy mayor of Versailles, François-Xavier Bellamy, claims to offer a middle way between LREM and RN.
It says the former would mean “continuing to have a technocratic Europe” without respect for national identities, while the latter means “a France without Europe”, adding it wants a Europe that better defends our identity and civilisation.
The Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) list stands for a more “social and ecological Europe”. Massive spending on renewable energy and building insulation are among its priorities.
La France Insoumise, headed by Manon Aubry, aims for more equality in tax and social systems, including stronger measures against tax evasion and a European minimum wage.
=> A new website and app shows what the EU does in topics that interest you, or in your local area. See what-europe-does-for-me.eu or the Citizens’ App.
Britons can vote
Britons will again be able to vote, either in the UK (for those abroad less than 15 years) or in France. Some are opting for the UK (on May 23) in a context in which they see the elections as a stand-in for a second EU referendum.
If you wished to vote in France but are not registered, it is too late. There is still time for the UK – see gov.uk/register-to-vote
