French election mapped: Where Macron was defeated and why he should be worried

Emmanuel Macron’s re-election for a second term as president of France saw him win 58.5% of the vote in the run-off against Marine Le Pen.

He secured upwards of 80% of votes in Paris and the surrounds, and almost two-thirds of votes in northwestern areas like Brittany and the Loire valley.

The detail of the results tell a less convincing story, though – more than one in 12 votes were either deliberately spoilt or registered as invalid, suggesting that neither Mr Macron or Ms Le Pen was viewed as a suitable option for many voters.

Ms Le Pen’s share of the vote increased by 7.6 percentage points compared to 2017, as she built on support she already had in the south and northeast.

Her strongest support was actually among French overseas territories – she received a higher share of votes in Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean, and French Guiana in South America, than in any department on the French mainland.

The voting maps also reveal significant regional differences, illustrating how much those in certain parts of France feel let down by their incumbent president.

Large numbers of voters in northeastern departments – many of which are regarded as France’s industrial heartland – and to a certain extent, in southern areas – which tend to be more rural and oriented around farming – did not back Mr Macron.

Mr Macron’s narrower victory this time compared to 2017 will give him cause for concern going into elections for the country’s National Assembly, which will direct how he will form his cabinet.

Five years ago, many parts of the northeast and south ended up voting for candidates from Mr Macron’s newly formed En Marche! party but he may find it harder to win over voters in those seats this time around.

The nationwide parliamentary elections are scheduled for two rounds on 12 and 19 June.

What does Macron need to form a ruling government?

If Mr Macron’s party wins in a majority of the 577 seats, he will be able to form a new government of his choice that will give him freedom to pass whatever laws he wants.

But if another party gets a majority of seats, the president will be forced to appoint a prime minister belonging to that new majority.

Such a situation is called “cohabitation” in France, and the government would be able to implement policies that diverge from the president’s objectives. The French president would continue to have sway, however, over the country’s foreign policy.

Ms Le Pen’s National Front party did really badly after her presidential defeat in 2017, winning just eight seats, despite her 33% in the run-off against Mr Macron.

In the upcoming assembly elections, her renamed and largely rebranded National Rally party will be hoping to do much better in her northern and southern strongholds.

After her defeat on Sunday, Ms Le Pen promised to keep up the fight against Mr Macron as she turned her attention to June’s parliamentary vote.

Is there anyone else who could challenge Macron?

Ms Le Pen was challenged in the first round of presidential voting by other far right hopefuls. At the time, Ms Le Pen and her main challenger Eric Zemmour spoke about a possible coalition of anti-Macron, nationalist forces emerging in time for the June elections.

Mr Macron could also face a significant challenge from the left after Jean-Luc Melenchon had strong results in some areas.

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