dissolution, a double-edged sword for Emmanuel Macron

In the event of a deadlock, Emmanuel Macron is entitled to dissolve the National Assembly now, after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the assemblies. In such cases, new legislative elections are organized between 20 and 40 days after the decision. The president, on the other hand, cannot resort to a dissolution more than once a year.

For Emmanuel Macron, the dissolution can be an effective tool to reshuffle the cards and hope to recover seats. But it’s a double-edged sword. In 1997, Jacques Chirac had seen his decision to dissolve the Assembly turn against him: the president lost his majority and was forced to live with the left by appointing a Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin. On the other hand, Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand each resorted to two dissolutions and each time won new seats.