With the next election just 18 months away, many feel they're better served stepping back from power

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Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024 backfired on him, triggering legislative elections that stacked the powerful lower house with opponents of the French leader but producing no outright winner. Since then, Macron’s minority governments have sought to barter support bill by bill and have fallen in quick succession. That collides with the architecture of the Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 under Charles de Gaulle. The system was built for a strong presidency and stable parliamentary majorities, not for coalition horse-trading or a splintered house. With no single bloc near an absolute majority of 289 seats, the machinery is grinding against its design, turning big votes into cliffhangers and raising existential questions about the governance of France. For French voters and observers, it’s jarring. France, once a model of eurozone stability, is now stumbling from crisis to crisis, testing the patience of markets and allies. To peel away opposition votes, Lecornu offered to slow the rollout of Macron’s flagship 2023 pension law, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, Jean-Emile Jammine welcomes Rainbow Murray, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London.