John Downing: Is Emmanuel Macron’s election gamble to ‘vaccinate’ French against hard right a risk too far?

President Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary election after disappointing results for his party on June 9. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images

John Downing

It is increasingly likely that Emmanuel Macron’s crazy gamble in calling national parliament elections on the back of a drubbing in the recent European elections will end in tears for the “Macronites”. The political wunderkind of Europe – who demolished the French party system in 2017 by romping to victory in the presidential and parliamentary elections – risks reaping a political whirlwind all of his own creation.

Since his success devastated the moderate French right and left, he has few allies to call on, and his dislike of building a party structure to shore up his own personality cult takes a toll.