The hard road ahead of Emmanuel Macron, France’s youngest president
Delivering a resounding election victory was just the first step — now the independent needs to show he can govern without the support of a traditional party
There is scepticism about Macron’s ability to win a majority with candidates from his En Marche movement — "neither of the left, nor right" — alone, meaning he might have to form a coalition. "In order for us to act, we will need a majority in the National Assembly," En Marche secretary general Richard Ferrand told TF1 television, adding that only "half of the journey" had been completed. And his economic agenda, particularly plans to relax labour regulations to fight stubbornly high unemployment, is likely to face fierce resistance from leftist opponents. He also inherits a country still in a state of emergency following a string of Islamist-inspired attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 230 people. "I will fight with all my strength against the divisions that are undermining us," Macron said in a solemn speech at his campaign headquarters Sunday. A sea of jubilant supporters waving French flags celebrated outside the Louvre Museum in Paris as the extent of Macron’s victory...
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