Macron at Versailles

President Emmanuel Macron was in his element last month, holding court with foreign investors at a Davos-inspired conference inside the Palace of Versailles. 

He wanted to discuss the rise of artificial intelligence

One executive warned the voracious technology would require the world to double its energy supply. Another said AI would unleash a wave of job displacement.

Beyond the gates of Versailles, many French voters have grown tired of Macron’s tendency to run France like a business rather than a country

His technocratic focus on France’s ability to compete in the global marketplace has done little to placate widespread anxieties over immigration and the rising cost of living. 

Macron has cast the new vote as a moment of truth for France that would reveal whether voters actually support Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigrant agenda. 

It is a colossal bet, based on the assumption that voters choosing between a multitude of parties in the first round of voting on June 30 will eventually rally behind Macron’s party for the July 7 runoff. 

The snap elections, however, are also turning into a referendum on “le macronisme.” 

Wall Street Journal 28 June 2024

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/macron-france-ceo-voters-unhappy-far-right-2a0a2bcf