The outcome of the French parliamentary election and the convincing win of President Emmanuel Macron’s young party dominated the German newspapers on Monday.
Projections after the first election round showed on Sunday that Macron’s fledgling party is set to trounce France’s traditional main parties in the election and secure a huge majority to push through his pro-business reforms.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated President Macron on the victory of his party, calling the result a strong vote for reforms.
People on the streets of the German city of Cologne on Monday morning said that they were especially pleased because Macron stood for Europe. Also, his apparent political unyieldingness was highly appreciated.
The vote delivered a further crushing blow to the Socialist and conservative parties that had alternated in power for decades until Macron’s election in May blew apart the left-right divide.
Pollsters project Macron’s alliance could win as many as three-quarters of the seats in the lower house after next week’s second round of voting.
But voter turnout was a record low for parliamentary elections in the post-war Fifth Republic at 48.6 percent, taking the shine off Macron’s margin of victory in the first round.
Reuters
