Macron Has Been Elected, But Not Yet Empowered
His future is in parliament's hands.
Photographer: Jeff J MitchellGiven that he won with 66 percent of the vote, you would think that French president-elect Emmanuel Macron would have a sweeping mandate to implement his agenda. But that's not the case, or at least not yet. First, the mandate is less than it would appear because Macron's run-off opponent was populist leader Marine Le Pen, who is reviled by many French voters and virtually all the political class.
But second, because under the French constitution, the president only has significant powers when he has a majority in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. This is a key question for Macron, since he has run without the support of a major party, having founded his own skeletal movement En Marche! only in 2016. On Monday, the party secretary announced the party will now be called Republique En Marche or Republic on the Move. Without a majority in parliament, his reform agenda is likely to remain a dead letter.