It’s almost 8 p.m., and your eyes don’t take your eyes off the giant screen for half a second. Several hundred left-wing activists await the outcome of the second round of legislative elections in the hall of the Elysée Montmartre in Paris. A technical bug just before the climax capsizes hearts, but the screen turns on again in extremis. Cries of joy accompany the results of the evening: the New popular ecological and social union (Nupes) obtains more than 150 seats in the National Assembly. Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s left-wing coalition is rocking Emmanuel Macron, who will not have an absolute majority to govern the country.
“Macron did not offer anything, he is paying for it today”
“The country took hold of the ballot in an unprecedented way, despite the still very strong abstention. It’s never good to step over elections. This evening, Emmanuel Macron is taking a historic rouste, and he will not be able to pass his reforms, ”welcomes Sarah Legrain, rebellious MP for Paris, elected last Sunday. “Ideologically, we won this campaign. On the other hand, they did nothing. Macron has offered nothing on ecology, nothing on social issues, no strong political axis. They only fired on the Nupes, they are paying for it today, ”adds Thomas Luquet, defeated candidate in the 1st district of Paris.
In the room, cheers accompany the victorious faces of the Nupes parading on television. Explosions of joy, on the other hand, sound the death knell for the many macronie soldiers who fell this Sunday, such as the former Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner, the former President of the Assembly Richard Ferrand, the Minister of Health Brigitte Bourguignon or his colleague from the Ecological Transition Amélie de Montchalin… “These are figures of En Marche who have done a lot of harm to the country. It is very important to see that the reign of these people is over. Social abuse is coming to an end, there is a kind of new breath coming, ”enthuses Elodie, LFI activist from Hauts-de-Seine.
“The rout of the presidential party is total”
The future of the country is however far from being settled. The Nupes score does not allow Jean-Luc Mélenchon to put down his suitcases at Matignon. But no matter, the atmosphere is festive. “We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it, we are here”, sing the activists. The temperature rises a few degrees when the tribune enters the scene. “This is a totally unexpected situation, absolutely unheard of. The rout of the presidential party is total, ”launches the boss of La France insoumise. “Macronism has not only bankrupted itself, it has plunged the country into a dead end”, adds the former deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône, while no one knows with what majority the president could tomorrow to pass its laws.
Incidentally, the tribune castigates the “moral failure” of the presidential camp, which he considers responsible for the historic score of the National Rally (80 to 95 deputies). A record that makes some activists smile. “Our result is positive, it’s true, but the RN score worries me a lot tonight. I’m a little afraid of the tone of future debates in the National Assembly, ”breathes Antoine, a rebellious 28-year-old. Jean-Luc Mélenchon has already left the stage. But we find him outside, without jacket or tie, to say “a quick word” to the hundreds of people who could not enter.
“It’s a roller coaster, isn’t it?” […] These challenges that are coming, we will meet them with a strength that we did not have. Anyway, we beat him, he doesn’t have the majority. With three pieces of wool and four pieces of string, we finally got there”. The tribune gets a little annoyed when the crowd chants his name. “You can say Nupes, but I don’t like it when it’s too personal.” Yet it is well behind him that the united left has partly won its bet. The leader of Nupes, who did not represent himself in Marseille, also seems far from wanting to hang up: “I am changing my combat post, but my commitment is, and will remain, until my last breath in the first in your ranks if you wish”.