Emmanuel Macron loses his parliamentary majority

When charles de gaulle drafted the modern French constitution in 1958, he sought to end the parliamentary instability that had brought gridlock to the previous republic. By and large France has since turned into one of Europe’s most stable polities. Street theatrics are common. But general elections deliver clear results. Governments succeed each other promptly. Now, however, France looks to be heading for trouble after Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance, Ensemble, lost its parliamentary majority. It was a disastrous election result for the president.