The re-election of Emmanuel Macron is just a turning point in the electoral war of this French spring.
His opponents are already mobilizing to prevent him from having a light mandate.
The same Sunday a new battle and uncertainty opened up for Macron: the legislative elections in June.
It is the so-called third electoral round, where the majorities that allow the head of state to govern and carry out his reforms are forged.
Macron's political opposition, led by Marine Le Pen, is already campaigning to seek alliances and prevent another victory for the centrist.
As if we had gone from the anti Le Pen shield of the presidential ones to an anti Macron one in the legislative ones.
Even with the polls hot, Le Pen, who sees his desire to occupy the Elysée for the third time vanish but has made the best result in his history, challenged the re-elected president: "With this result we are well positioned for the legislative ones," said some minutes after knowing the first count data.
Power in France is forged every five years in four ballots that take place in the spring: first, the president is voted, in two rounds, who is the one who defines the country's policy and direction.
A month or so later, the composition of the Assembly is also elected in two so many, where these reforms are validated or not.
France elections 2022
Cohabitation
If the president and parliamentary majority are not of the same political sign, what is known as cohabitation occurs, which complicates the head of state's room for maneuver, since it forces him to seek alliances with other parties.
Since 2002, both elections have been held in the same year to avoid this risk, since it complicates governance.
The last case of cohabitation dates back to Jacques Chirac, who had the socialist Lionel Jospin as prime minister.
The polarization of the French political landscape today is such that Macron will have to balance to carry out his projects if he does not obtain a majority.
On Sunday he won with 58% of the vote and Le Pen got 41%, but there was 28% abstention.
He starts with an advantage, but it is true that the social fracture could complicate things.
In the first round, the extremes of Marine Le Pen and the leftist Jean Luc Mélenchon obtained between the two more than 40% support, compared to 26% for Macron.
Added to this is the fact that the traditional parties, Republicans and Socialists, are almost eliminated from the map.
election weariness
Once again, the role played by the useful vote, the alliances between the different parties (both the extreme right and the left have difficulties going to the polls together) and abstention will be key, because by now the voters are tired of going to the polls. vote.
In 2017, abstention in the legislative elections touched a historical level, with 50%.
Both Le Pen and Mélenchon, second and third in this presidential contest, combatively face this new challenge.
Empowered by her result on Sunday, Marine Le Pen has called for the union "of all forces" to confront Macron.
The far-right Eric Zemmour suggested the union of the bloc because "it is the third time that Le Pen's party has failed in its attempt."
The far-right, however, has repeated during the presidential campaign that she does not want alliances with Zemmour, whose part of the electorate, moreover, does not prefer her but Macron, since it brings together a more elitist voter, who identifies little with that policy of Le Pen's popular classes.
Melenchon also asked the left for a last electoral effort to reach a majority in the legislative elections.
The left has gone to the presidential elections very fragmented and only he has been able to bring together a large part of it: 22% of voters.
These days Mélenchon will meet with other parties of similar sensitivity (environmentalists, communists and socialists) to seek alliances.
"A different world is possible if we unite and obtain a majority of deputies in the legislative elections," Mélenchon said.
risks
The prospect of cohabitation is worrying in Macron's camp, although they trust that those who have voted for him in this second round "are consistent with their decision" and allow him to govern.
“I am sure that the French will give Macron the means to act,” said his right-hand man, Gabriel Attal, yesterday.
Another close collaborator of Macron illustrated these days another of the fears, although it seems paradoxical: that the president obtains a legislative majority and becomes an anti Le Pen shield again.
That would mean that the far-right, despite having obtained 41% of the vote on Sunday, does not have the space that would correspond to it, which "could cause conflict, that people look for that representation on the street that they do not have in the institutions" .
If his rivals are already campaigning, the president has been secluded since Sunday in the Versalles presidential residence, preparing his new government.
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