A hard-right government might disrupt France’s relations with Europe

In his acceptance speech after being re-elected in 2022, Mr Macron said he had understood the message of French voters. But having failed to build alliances ahead of the general elections that followed, he did not secure a majority in parliament. Afterwards, he struggled to push through divisive reforms of the pension system and the immigration regime, alienating centre-left voters without satisfying those on the right. Though he successfully used deficit-financed subsidies to limit the inflationary consequences of the energy-price shock, people resented the stagnation of purchasing power and the erosion of their savings. Anger about this—and also about Mr Macron’s Jupiterian style of government—translated into a dismal performance for his list in the European Parliament elections earlier this month, which in turn prompted the president’s decision to call snap elections.