Two sources close to Macron said he had believed Villani's bid would naturally fade. "With an election less than two years away, Macron will come under extreme pressure to give way to political expediency. The coronavirus crisis is proving to be a challenging test for many leaders around the globe. Copyright© Mediacorp 2020. It could end up as a handy guide: 'How to lose an election'.". Neither by the public, nor by party members," said an official inside LaRem. Mr Taylor also noted that despite Ms Le Pen's National Rally somewhat falling in the polls during the coronavirus crisis, she may recover lost ground as the social cost of the pandemic bites. Interviews with more than a dozen ministers, presidential aides and party insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity reveal how miscalculations cost him dear, and portray a leader who can put loyalty before competence and fail to judge character. One disgruntled LaRem lawmaker put it simply: "We had gold in our hands and we turned it to lead.". And a year ago, before Griveaux's nomination, incumbent Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo was deeply unpopular for her efforts to reduce traffic in the capital, and surveys showed a Macron candidate beating her. He nonetheless fought and won the campaign on a counter-intuitive platform of “more Europe”. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights. "The President has not enjoyed the same coronavirus boost in the polls as leaders in Germany, Italy or even the UK, despite Britain’s poorer record in fighting the virus. "It's like (French wartime resistance leader) De Gaulle and the Communists: They had nothing in common but, 20 years later, once he was in the Elysee, the General still took calls from those who had been with him in London.". Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. "And if he decides to press on, circle the wagons.". In July, Mr Macron’s approval rating dropped to 38 percent from 39 percent in June, and according to European affairs journalist Paul Taylor, his hopes for reelection in 2022 are incredibly slim. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. JUST IN: Emmanuel Macron's 'self-DESTRUCTIVE' Brexit position exposed. The talks were the latest in a string of regular contacts between Macron and Putin. Belarusians have been demonstrating across the country for nearly a month since disputed presidential elections. It fell again last winter during weeks of demonstrations against pension reforms, and transport strikes.

Macron told Putin he is "very worried about the situation in Belarus and the violence that citizens have faced during the elections," the Elysee said in a statement. Macron had hoped that local elections would provide the grassroots base that his young centrist party, LaRem, lacks ahead of his 2022 re-election bid. Now, three days before Sunday's nationwide municipal elections, Macron's stand-in candidate, former health minister Agnes Buzyn, is polling more than 20 points behind Hidalgo, seemingly having lost ground since the first round in March. As one government minister put it: "We've done almost everything we shouldn't have done. Mr Taylor, who is also a senior fellow at the think-tank Friends of Europe, argued that while the young, centrist leader may have triumphed on the European stage by convincing Germany to embrace joint borrowing to power a giant EU recovery fund, at home, he now faces a tough crowd.

To be sure, Macron's own popularity had slumped during months of anti-government 'yellow vest' protests in early 2019, which were driven by public anger at a leader seen as aloof. Please consider making a donation to The Moscow Times to help us continue covering this historic time in the world’s largest country. But the president held back, telling a small group of reporters that "emulation" was a positive. Mr Taylor conceded that "whatever path he chooses will be the result of difficult economic choices", before adding that if the world’s sixth-largest economy is truly going to get back on a sound footing, it will need a completely new model. Express.