French Press: For Emanuel Macron, the difficulties are just beginning

“A victory, a thousand challenges” saw the front page of the Télégramme newspaper, “Everything remains to be done” was that of La Croix: after his re-election as President of France, Emanuel Macron is called to unite two France, according to several commentators.

The newspaper Le Monde summed up by referring to “re-election without a grace period” noting the abstention “that came close to a record” and that the far right embodied by Marin Le Pen “broke the barrier of 40% of the votes for the first time”.

Abstention (28%) was higher than five years ago (25.44%) and higher than in the 1969 presidential election (31%).

Some headlines were neutral, dry, news, such as “Emanuel Macron re-elected” (Ouest-France) or “Macron re-elected with 58.5%” (La Dépêche du Midi), others more abstract, such as “Act Two” (Sud Ouest), some somewhat more enthusiastic, such as “Macron promises ‘five better years'” (Le Parisien / Aujourd’hui en France), or “New beginning” (Echos), while the conservative Figaro saw “Great victory , great challenges “.

At first glance, the result looks like “apotheosis”, after a “cursed” five years, with the yellow vests, the case of Samuel Pati, the destruction of Notre Dame, the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the war in Ukraine; Mr Macron is far from contemptible, said Figaro’s editorial director Alexis Breze, noting, however, that triumphs are not appropriate as no one “can truly believe” that the 44-year-old head of state has such a wide popular following.

On the other hand, the Libération put on its front page a big “Thanks to whom?” above the head of the winner of the elections, while in the internal pages of the newspaper there is talk of an “inglorious” victory and the many difficult issues that Mr. Macron is called upon to resolve are listed.

A sketch by Kak published by L’Opinion humorously presents the outcome of the match: in the boxing ring, a Marianne announces “Macron, winner on the spot”, raising the right hand of a wooden president, with a swollen and almost closed eye, paralyzed , with a blushing expression; on the other hand, Marin Lepen is in a similar situation, loaded, paralyzed, defeated – but standing.

So no one saw a triumph. No chaos: “These elections have allowed chaos to be avoided, but certainly not to quell anger,” said Sud-Ouest’s Jean-Pierre Dorian.

And skepticism persists. “Yes, but”, is the title of La Provence, “And now?” that of Corse-Matin. Despite the victory, “nothing has been done”, for Stefan Verne, who considers that the aim is “to reconcile the French … and quickly”, as his article in Ouest-France titled.

France looks like a “multi-injured”, says Dominique Diogon in the columns of La Montagne, estimating that the problem is not the supposed “replacement” imagined by the extreme right, but the class mobility down, the “demotion” of many French, the factor that fuels the climate of “explosive dissatisfaction” in the country.

The map of the election results does seem to outline two France. Emanuel Macron voted: he lives in the big cities, he belongs to the middle and upper classes, he retires. The other, voted for by Marin Le Pen, generally more popular, often feels excluded, living in the northeast or on the Mediterranean coast.

Ms. Lepen also recorded a historic performance in offshore acquisitions, winning them with almost 60% of the vote (Antilles, Guyana, Reunion, Mayotte: 59.10%), amid widespread suspicion of the authorities and rejection of the health pass.

Some columnists, such as L’Est Républicain’s Lik Bourian, have blamed the head of state for Ms. Le Pen’s performance: mixing “brioche and cynicism”, playing “opportunism”, “weakening the moderate left and “, left no room” for any other alternative than extremism, radicalism, conflict “.

Now he is called to “listen and act,” as the Midi Libre front page urged him. The issue is how.

It remains, remarkably, to see what will be the result of the parliamentary elections, of the famous “third round”. Unless there is a clear majority in the National Assembly, Mr Macron’s new term could be marked by political “paralysis”, warns Frederic Wezar of DNA (Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace).

As Jean-Luc Melanson of the radical left calls on the French to elect him prime minister, L’Humanité puts a crumpled Marine Le Pen ballot on its front page with the stamp “defeated” and below the order: “And now, give it to him. Macron “.

The winner of the election last night seemed to acknowledge that many French people “did not vote for me because they support my ideas, but to block those of the far right”, adding “I want to thank them and tell them I have a conscience” obligation to be taken into account in the policy to be drawn up. At the same time, however, he said he would also seek to “respond” to those who voted “out of anger” or “protest” against Marine Le Pen.

Source: AMPE