French Parliamentary Election: Latest Poll Indicates Macron to Win Absolute Majority

According to a poll released on Thursday 25 May, French President Emmanuel Macron’s party is set to win an absolute majority in parliament in legislative elections next month, indicating that the new leader may have enough support to carry out an ambitious reform agenda.

In an OpinionWay poll for financial daily Les Echos, President Macron was seen getting 310 to 330 of the 535 mainland seats in the lower house of parliament – effectively more than the required 289 seats necessary for a majority. The latest poll results are similar to a raft of other recent polls which have suggested that President Macron’s start-up Republic On the Move (LREM) party would displace the Socialists as the largest party in the house and outrank the conservatives. The latest poll indicates that the Socialists are seen getting only 25 to 30 seats in Parliament, with the Republicans winning between 140 to 160 seats.

President Macron is planning to pass a reform of labour regulations by the end of September before kicking off overhauls of the unemployment insurance system and professional training later in the year and tackling pension schemes in 2018.