Lesson 1: National success does not translate easily to the local level
Emmanuel Macron founded La République en Marche for his presidential campaign in 2016. Four years later, the party has only fragile foundations at the municipal level. Its candidates have very often finished in third position, beaten by their rivals traditional politicians or by environmentalists.
We are very humble in the face of this election.
She also mentioned the difficulty for any party to defeat an outgoing mayor.
The Republic on the move has set itself the goal of electing 10,000 local elected officials this year. A modest target, since France has around 500,000.
Lesson 2: His party lacks cohesion
This is the great promise of Emmanuel Macron: to govern both to the right and to the left. At the same time, as the expression says.
The promise has attracted people from all political backgrounds. Some today believe that the party is not promoting enough right wing ideas, others believe that we should go further to the left.
A dynamic that has allowed some Walkers to run as candidates dissidents at the municipal level, convinced that their version of macronism was fairer (more to the right or more to the left) than that of the nominated candidate.
These dissent divided the vote, of course, but also discredited the party and weakened its authority.
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The second round was postponed by more than three months due to the pandemic.
Lesson 3: The French want to go in another direction
Since he governs, Emmanuel Macron and the elected members of his party have a reputation for making decisions, especially on the right, for businesses and the wealthy.
The green wave who swept through the polls this Sunday evokes a desire for more leftist policies. More social and more ecological. Especially after the long confinement.
During the coronavirus crisis, the president has already hinted that he will set course further to the left. A promise that could take shape with the cabinet reshuffle, expected in the coming days.
Lesson 4: Emmanuel Macron May No Longer Embody Change
The first half of his mandate seems to have been enough for many French people to judge their president. The one who promised to to do politics differently has since lost its aura.
Emmanuel Macron is unpopular, contested. For many, his way of governing recalls what he denounced when he was a candidate.
In this municipal election, it was the environmentalists and the greens who represented the hope for a change in society, the desire to find another way of doing politics.
In April, the president promised to reinvent himself. He has less than two years before the presidential election.
