The political field of ruins argues for the reconstruction of the left

The municipal elections marked the final nail in the coffin for the overcoming of the right-left divide, a cornerstone of Emmanuel Macron’s project in 2017. Disappointing for those who had faith in this pledge of democratic renewal, it was the Macronists themselves who held the shovel. La Renaissance was unable to present lead candidates in more than 24 cities with over 30,000 inhabitants (out of 287) and favored support or alliances with right-wing candidates in almost all cases. By putting their flag away, the presidential family suffered a harsh punishment: 0.03% of the votes in the first round for La Renaissance, 0.05% for MoDem, both overshadowed by two blocks of right and left, indeed dominant.

Paris vividly illustrates this abdication. In the first round, MoDem renounced its centrist heritage by aligning with the right-wing candidate Rachida Dati, instead of uniting forces with the centrally positioned candidate, Pierre-Yves Bournazel. In the second round, the latter threw in the towel under the unspeakable pressures of his camp. Worse, after the withdrawal of the Reconquest candidate, the merged list led by Rachida Dati forces the few remaining candidates to be called Macronists to submit their election as Paris councilors to the support of the far right. In May 2017, in front of the Louvre pyramid, the Ode to Joy heralded a new political world; in March 2026, this hope dissipates with the tones of a requiem.