Leaders | The man who fell to earth

What Emmanuel Macron should learn from losing his majority

Will the French president be able to get anything done in his second term?

France's President Emmanuel Macron takes part in an expanded videoconference with the Quint group, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and EU leaders, dedicated to the war in Ukraine at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 19, 2022, on the 55th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / various sources / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Jun 22nd 2022

Less Jupiter than Icarus, Emmanuel Macron came crashing down this week. On June 19th French voters did something that was last seen over 30 years ago: they denied a newly elected president a majority in the National Assembly. It is not quite impossible to govern without one, but for the next five years Mr Macron will be scratching around for the votes he needs to get anything done. That is bad news for France—and for Europe too, which sorely lacks a leader of global stature. Angela Merkel left the field last winter, and the man who had hoped to reshape a continent after her departure will have his work cut out just keeping his own house in something that resembles order.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The man who fell to earth”