Why Macron’s actions could bring the far-right to power in France

Nearly one year ago, French President Emmanuel Macron made one of the most pivotal decisions since coming to power in 2017, calling for snap elections to the National Assembly.

Macron’s gamble paid off, at least in the sense of halting the RN’s immediate momentum. For many, however, it also marked a fatal weakening of his presidency.

Read more to understand why Macron has so rapidly and deeply lost the support of the French people in the article by Sciences Po lecturer Jean-Baptiste Wautier: The tragedy of Macron: why the French president is paving the way for a far-right victory.

In his recent, sharply critical book Le Président Toxique (The Toxic President), journalist Etienne Campion offers an unflinching portrait of Macron, portraying him as a solitary, strategic leader who has built a highly centralized power structure and increasingly shut himself off from opposition or dissent.

But what began as a calculated assertion of authority soon became a systemic vulnerability.

By weakening political parties, labor unions, and parliament, Macron undermined the traditional structures that have historically provided French presidents with useful feedback and opportunities for course correction.

Macron’s diminished political standing can be largely attributed to his ever-smaller inner circle, over-centralization of power, and lack of ideological coherence.

Macron’s political career has been marked by striking ideological swings. He began in Socialist circles – even briefly joining the Socialist Party – and served in Hollande’s administration as both a senior adviser and finance minister.

His re-election in 2022, though decisive on paper, lacked genuine enthusiasm. First came the loss of his absolute majority in the National Assembly in the 2022 legislative elections. 

Then came the 2024 European elections, which dealt Macron’s coalition a decisive defeat, not just by the far right but by rivals across the political spectrum.

Macron’s economic legacy is thus a mixed bag: reforms that delivered incremental gains, a fiscal outlook that looks increasingly precarious, and a growth trajectory that falls far short of his marketing.

His political style has alienated a large segment of the French electorate, especially those who feel that his decision-making has become too erratic and that meaningful progress – for them at least – remains out of reach.

Whether it was the handling of the 2018 gilets jaunes ("yellow vests") protests, the abrupt pension reform that modestly raised the retirement age, or the chaotic use of Article 49.3, Macron’s method of governance has often seemed more like coercion than leadership.

As a result, French voters are turning away from the "reasonable center" and gravitating toward more radical alternatives.

If that happens, Macron’s legacy will be shaped not by the policies he enacted but by the populist backlash he failed to contain.