Emmanuel Macron’s party looks set to sweep into power

“JUMP IN!” yells Bruno Bonnell from behind the wheel of his rented minivan. A tech entrepreneur more used to labs than leafleting, the local candidate for Villeurbanne in the upcoming parliamentary elections has never fought a political campaign in his life, and is having a blast. He has plastered a huge photo of himself and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, whose party he is standing for, on the outside of the van. “I love it,” he grins, as he drives around the constituency, next to Lyon: “People recognise the photo, and they smile.”

A second revolution is underway in France. On the back of the remarkable election in May of Mr Macron, who had never before run for election to any office, La République en Marche! (LRM), a movement he founded just 14 months ago, looks set to secure a parliamentary majority at the two-round legislative election, on June 11th and 18th (see chart). Only weeks ago, such a prospect looked slim. But almost everything Mr Macron has achieved so far...Continue reading