ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the 2017 French presidential and legislative elections. The chapter considers the ways in which the presidential elections campaign, in particular, witnessed a series of unexpected events: the rise of Emmanuel Macron; the destabilising of the centre right candidate François Fillon’s campaign, mired in an expenses scandal; the relative success of the far left Jean-Luc Mélenchon; and the eventual defeat by Macron of the far right Marine Le Pen in the second round run-off. While there were glimpses of hope in this campaign, the chapter argues that the rise of Macron and his centrist party, La République en Marche! (LREM) demonstrates that the system is, in a sense, ‘in limbo.’ The overly personalised presidential elections diminish the importance of the legislative elections in the minds of the electorate, leading to a system in which newly elected presidents are repeatedly handed large majorities in the National Assembly so as to confirm their legitimacy.
