section_path: Campaign/Parties and coalitions/Ensemble
section_name: Ensemble
paragraph_text: Ensemble
  
  The Ensemble coalition of Renaissance, the Democratic Movement (MoDem), Horizons, the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), and the Radical Party was renewed after swift negotiations soon after the dissolution announcement.
  
  Just after the early election was called, Secretary General of Renaissance Stéphane Séjourné announced that the presidential majority would field candidates against "other republican candidates" in the hopes of splitting his opposition, with Clément Beaune naturally excluding La France Insoumise (LFI) and the National Rally (RN) from that definition. The alliance ultimately chose not to field candidates in 67 constituencies, many of which were represented by incumbents of The Republicans (LR), and several others from the Socialist Party (PS) as well as members of the Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group in the National Assembly. On 12 June, Emmanuel Macron said that he had called the election to prevent a far-right victory in the 2027 presidential election. He criticised The Republicans for its potential alliance with the RN, as well as the New Popular Front (NFP), and urged all parties "able to say no to extremes" to unite.
  
  In an open letter published on 23 June, Macron wrote that he hoped that "the future government republicans of diverse sensibilities who will be known for their courage to oppose the extremes," in acknowledgement of the possibility of a post-election coalition. Additionally, in response to speculation that he might resign, he affirmed that he would remain president until May 2027. Most – but not all – constitutional experts rejected the possibility of Macron resigning in order to avoid potential legislative deadlock in the event of an unclear election outcome (with legislative elections prohibited within a year of the preceding one), considering that article 6 of the constitution explicitly prohibits presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms, and such a scenario would entail him seeking a third given that his current term would consider to have ended after such a resignation.
  
  On 20 June, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to lower electricity bills and inheritance taxes, link pensions to inflation, and provide aid to first-time property buyers. Other proposals he presented included raising the value-sharing bonus by up to €10,000 per year, constructing 14 new nuclear reactors, banning access to social networks to those aged 15 and under, halving the usage of pesticides by 2030, and doubling the army budget by 2030. Echoing the RN's proposals in response to a spate of youth violence, Attal also announced that he would seek to abolish age as a mitigating circumstance for statutory penalties by default, meaning that judges would charge lawbreaking children as adults unless they provided explanations as to why an exception should be granted. At the same time, he attacked the RN's programme of "division, hate, and stigmatisation," and said the RN's backtracking on various economic policies showed that they were "not ready to govern." Macron likewise castigated the "uninhibited racism or anti-Semitism" of the campaign in response to RN deputy Roger Chudeau saying that his fellow former cabinet member Najat Vallaud-Belkacem should not have been able to serve because of her dual nationality.
  
  Trailing in third place nationally behind the NFP and RN in pre-election polls, Macron and his allies decided to focus their attacks on the programme of the New Popular Front prior to the first round and mostly avoid direct confrontation against the RN until the second round. Attal claimed that the NFP's proposal to raise the minimum wage by 14.3% to net €1,600 per month would lead to the loss of 500,000 jobs, and Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire claimed that it would be "a catastrophe" resulting in "mass unemployment" if implemented, with the European Commission having just announced it would meet to launch the excessive deficit procedure against France. Macron publicly denounced the NFP's "totally immigrationist" stance and decried proposals which would make it easier for transgender people to change their civil status by allowing them to do so at their local town hall as "completely grotesque," and his former prime minister Élisabeth Borne decried the alliance as being one of "separatist wokists who support Islamism and communitarianism" with a nonsensical programme and disastrous economic policies.
  
  A recurring theme of the Ensemble campaign was the willingness of its figureheads to draw equivalencies between the New Popular Front and National Rally. On 21 June, Macron argued that, "contrary to what some say," the left and RN are not "rampart of other... there are extremes we must not allow to pass." Finance minister Bruno Le Maire warned that a victory by either the far-right or the left could cause a financial crisis, lambasting both of their economic platforms as "leftist projects inspired by Marxism." In an interview on 24 June, Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé remarked that "the best rampart, particularly against the Popular Front, is not the RN, it's us," and like Macron, refused to give second-round voting instructions in support of either of "the extremes" represented by the New Popular Front and RN prior to the first round. In a podcast episode released the same day, Macron warned that the "two extremes" would lead France "to civil war," whether because of the xenophobia of the RN or the communitarianism of the left.
  
  Many of Macron's closest advisors publicly expressed dismay at his decision to dissolve the National Assembly in the days after his surprise announcement. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly before the dissolution, privately disagreed with the decision and attempted to dissuade him, and said she believed that a coalition was possible. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire trashed Macron's coterie at the Élysée as "woodlice," and his former prime minister Édouard Philippe, head of the Horizons party within the Ensemble alliance, said that Macron had "killed the presidential majority" through his reckless decision. Outgoing Ensemble deputies expressed exasperation with Macron, with one remarking that "I wish he'd shut up and let us get out of the mess he's gotten us into;" François Bayrou, leader of alliance member MoDem, deemed it necessary to "de-Macronise the campaign;" and candidates became "fed up" with Macron's refusal to abide by his promise to stay out of the campaign.
  
  As Macron's popularity ratings plunged to their lowest level ever in post-dissolution surveys, with Frédéric Dabi noting that most respondents in an Ifop - JDD survey characterised the decision as "incomprehensible," "thoughtless," or "irresponsible" and 70% in a BVA Xsight- RTL survey declaring that they did not want Macron involved in the campaign, Ensemble candidates kept a local focus, with images of Macron were almost entirely absent from campaign posters: only one out of 22 government ministers' posters featured his image. Along with Philippe, Le Maire, and Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin (who announced that he would leave the government if re-elected to the National Assembly), many of Macron's early supporters distanced themselves from him, and he faced increasing rejection among former allies frustrated with his antics and public statements.
  
  The Ensemble coalition of Renaissance, the Democratic Movement (MoDem), Horizons, the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), and the Radical Party was renewed after swift negotiations soon after the dissolution announcement.
  
  Just after the early election was called, Secretary General of Renaissance Stéphane Séjourné announced that the presidential majority would field candidates against "other republican candidates" in the hopes of splitting his opposition, with Clément Beaune naturally excluding La France Insoumise (LFI) and the National Rally (RN) from that definition. The alliance ultimately chose not to field candidates in 67 constituencies, many of which were represented by incumbents of The Republicans (LR), and several others from the Socialist Party (PS) as well as members of the Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group in the National Assembly. On 12 June, Emmanuel Macron said that he had called the election to prevent a far-right victory in the 2027 presidential election. He criticised The Republicans for its potential alliance with the RN, as well as the New Popular Front (NFP), and urged all parties "able to say no to extremes" to unite.
  
  In an open letter published on 23 June, Macron wrote that he hoped that "the future government republicans of diverse sensibilities who will be known for their courage to oppose the extremes," in acknowledgement of the possibility of a post-election coalition. Additionally, in response to speculation that he might resign, he affirmed that he would remain president until May 2027. Most – but not all – constitutional experts rejected the possibility of Macron resigning in order to avoid potential legislative deadlock in the event of an unclear election outcome (with legislative elections prohibited within a year of the preceding one), considering that article 6 of the constitution explicitly prohibits presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms, and such a scenario would entail him seeking a third given that his current term would consider to have ended after such a resignation.
  
  On 20 June, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to lower electricity bills and inheritance taxes, link pensions to inflation, and provide aid to first-time property buyers. Other proposals he presented included raising the value-sharing bonus by up to €10,000 per year, constructing 14 new nuclear reactors, banning access to social networks to those aged 15 and under, halving the usage of pesticides by 2030, and doubling the army budget by 2030. Echoing the RN's proposals in response to a spate of youth violence, Attal also announced that he would seek to abolish age as a mitigating circumstance for statutory penalties by default, meaning that judges would charge lawbreaking children as adults unless they provided explanations as to why an exception should be granted. At the same time, he attacked the RN's programme of "division, hate, and stigmatisation," and said the RN's backtracking on various economic policies showed that they were "not ready to govern." Macron likewise castigated the "uninhibited racism or anti-Semitism" of the campaign in response to RN deputy Roger Chudeau saying that his fellow former cabinet member Najat Vallaud-Belkacem should not have been able to serve because of her dual nationality.
  
  Trailing in third place nationally behind the NFP and RN in pre-election polls, Macron and his allies decided to focus their attacks on the programme of the New Popular Front prior to the first round and mostly avoid direct confrontation against the RN until the second round. Attal claimed that the NFP's proposal to raise the minimum wage by 14.3% to net €1,600 per month would lead to the loss of 500,000 jobs, and Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire claimed that it would be "a catastrophe" resulting in "mass unemployment" if implemented, with the European Commission having just announced it would meet to launch the excessive deficit procedure against France. Macron publicly denounced the NFP's "totally immigrationist" stance and decried proposals which would make it easier for transgender people to change their civil status by allowing them to do so at their local town hall as "completely grotesque," and his former prime minister Élisabeth Borne decried the alliance as being one of "separatist wokists who support Islamism and communitarianism" with a nonsensical programme and disastrous economic policies.
  
  A recurring theme of the Ensemble campaign was the willingness of its figureheads to draw equivalencies between the New Popular Front and National Rally. On 21 June, Macron argued that, "contrary to what some say," the left and RN are not "rampart of other... there are extremes we must not allow to pass." Finance minister Bruno Le Maire warned that a victory by either the far-right or the left could cause a financial crisis, lambasting both of their economic platforms as "leftist projects inspired by Marxism." In an interview on 24 June, Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé remarked that "the best rampart, particularly against the Popular Front, is not the RN, it's us," and like Macron, refused to give second-round voting instructions in support of either of "the extremes" represented by the New Popular Front and RN prior to the first round. In a podcast episode released the same day, Macron warned that the "two extremes" would lead France "to civil war," whether because of the xenophobia of the RN or the communitarianism of the left.
  
  Many of Macron's closest advisors publicly expressed dismay at his decision to dissolve the National Assembly in the days after his surprise announcement. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly before the dissolution, privately disagreed with the decision and attempted to dissuade him, and said she believed that a coalition was possible. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire trashed Macron's coterie at the Élysée as "woodlice," and his former prime minister Édouard Philippe, head of the Horizons party within the Ensemble alliance, said that Macron had "killed the presidential majority" through his reckless decision. Outgoing Ensemble deputies expressed exasperation with Macron, with one remarking that "I wish he'd shut up and let us get out of the mess he's gotten us into;" François Bayrou, leader of alliance member MoDem, deemed it necessary to "de-Macronise the campaign;" and candidates became "fed up" with Macron's refusal to abide by his promise to stay out of the campaign.
  
  As Macron's popularity ratings plunged to their lowest level ever in post-dissolution surveys, with Frédéric Dabi noting that most respondents in an Ifop - JDD survey characterised the decision as "incomprehensible," "thoughtless," or "irresponsible" and 70% in a BVA Xsight- RTL survey declaring that they did not want Macron involved in the campaign, Ensemble candidates kept a local focus, with images of Macron were almost entirely absent from campaign posters: only one out of 22 government ministers' posters featured his image. Along with Philippe, Le Maire, and Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin (who announced that he would leave the government if re-elected to the National Assembly), many of Macron's early supporters distanced themselves from him, and he faced increasing rejection among former allies frustrated with his antics and public statements.
  
  The Ensemble coalition of Renaissance, the Democratic Movement (MoDem), Horizons, the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), and the Radical Party was renewed after swift negotiations soon after the dissolution announcement.
  
  Just after the early election was called, Secretary General of Renaissance Stéphane Séjourné announced that the presidential majority would field candidates against "other republican candidates" in the hopes of splitting his opposition, with Clément Beaune naturally excluding La France Insoumise (LFI) and the National Rally (RN) from that definition. The alliance ultimately chose not to field candidates in 67 constituencies, many of which were represented by incumbents of The Republicans (LR), and several others from the Socialist Party (PS) as well as members of the Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group in the National Assembly. On 12 June, Emmanuel Macron said that he had called the election to prevent a far-right victory in the 2027 presidential election. He criticised The Republicans for its potential alliance with the RN, as well as the New Popular Front (NFP), and urged all parties "able to say no to extremes" to unite.
  
  In an open letter published on 23 June, Macron wrote that he hoped that "the future government republicans of diverse sensibilities who will be known for their courage to oppose the extremes," in acknowledgement of the possibility of a post-election coalition. Additionally, in response to speculation that he might resign, he affirmed that he would remain president until May 2027. Most – but not all – constitutional experts rejected the possibility of Macron resigning in order to avoid potential legislative deadlock in the event of an unclear election outcome (with legislative elections prohibited within a year of the preceding one), considering that article 6 of the constitution explicitly prohibits presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms, and such a scenario would entail him seeking a third given that his current term would consider to have ended after such a resignation.
  
  On 20 June, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to lower electricity bills and inheritance taxes, link pensions to inflation, and provide aid to first-time property buyers. Other proposals he presented included raising the value-sharing bonus by up to €10,000 per year, constructing 14 new nuclear reactors, banning access to social networks to those aged 15 and under, halving the usage of pesticides by 2030, and doubling the army budget by 2030. Echoing the RN's proposals in response to a spate of youth violence, Attal also announced that he would seek to abolish age as a mitigating circumstance for statutory penalties by default, meaning that judges would charge lawbreaking children as adults unless they provided explanations as to why an exception should be granted. At the same time, he attacked the RN's programme of "division, hate, and stigmatisation," and said the RN's backtracking on various economic policies showed that they were "not ready to govern." Macron likewise castigated the "uninhibited racism or anti-Semitism" of the campaign in response to RN deputy Roger Chudeau saying that his fellow former cabinet member Najat Vallaud-Belkacem should not have been able to serve because of her dual nationality.
  
  Trailing in third place nationally behind the NFP and RN in pre-election polls, Macron and his allies decided to focus their attacks on the programme of the New Popular Front prior to the first round and mostly avoid direct confrontation against the RN until the second round. Attal claimed that the NFP's proposal to raise the minimum wage by 14.3% to net €1,600 per month would lead to the loss of 500,000 jobs, and Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire claimed that it would be "a catastrophe" resulting in "mass unemployment" if implemented, with the European Commission having just announced it would meet to launch the excessive deficit procedure against France. Macron publicly denounced the NFP's "totally immigrationist" stance and decried proposals which would make it easier for transgender people to change their civil status by allowing them to do so at their local town hall as "completely grotesque," and his former prime minister Élisabeth Borne decried the alliance as being one of "separatist wokists who support Islamism and communitarianism" with a nonsensical programme and disastrous economic policies.
  
  A recurring theme of the Ensemble campaign was the willingness of its figureheads to draw equivalencies between the New Popular Front and National Rally. On 21 June, Macron argued that, "contrary to what some say," the left and RN are not "rampart of other... there are extremes we must not allow to pass." Finance minister Bruno Le Maire warned that a victory by either the far-right or the left could cause a financial crisis, lambasting both of their economic platforms as "leftist projects inspired by Marxism." In an interview on 24 June, Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé remarked that "the best rampart, particularly against the Popular Front, is not the RN, it's us," and like Macron, refused to give second-round voting instructions in support of either of "the extremes" represented by the New Popular Front and RN prior to the first round. In a podcast episode released the same day, Macron warned that the "two extremes" would lead France "to civil war," whether because of the xenophobia of the RN or the communitarianism of the left.
  
  Many of Macron's closest advisors publicly expressed dismay at his decision to dissolve the National Assembly in the days after his surprise announcement. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly before the dissolution, privately disagreed with the decision and attempted to dissuade him, and said she believed that a coalition was possible. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire trashed Macron's coterie at the Élysée as "woodlice," and his former prime minister Édouard Philippe, head of the Horizons party within the Ensemble alliance, said that Macron had "killed the presidential majority" through his reckless decision. Outgoing Ensemble deputies expressed exasperation with Macron, with one remarking that "I wish he'd shut up and let us get out of the mess he's gotten us into;" François Bayrou, leader of alliance member MoDem, deemed it necessary to "de-Macronise the campaign;" and candidates became "fed up" with Macron's refusal to abide by his promise to stay out of the campaign.
  
  As Macron's popularity ratings plunged to their lowest level ever in post-dissolution surveys, with Frédéric Dabi noting that most respondents in an Ifop - JDD survey characterised the decision as "incomprehensible," "thoughtless," or "irresponsible" and 70% in a BVA Xsight- RTL survey declaring that they did not want Macron involved in the campaign, Ensemble candidates kept a local focus, with images of Macron were almost entirely absent from campaign posters: only one out of 22 government ministers' posters featured his image. Along with Philippe, Le Maire, and Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin (who announced that he would leave the government if re-elected to the National Assembly), many of Macron's early supporters distanced themselves from him, and he faced increasing rejection among former allies frustrated with his antics and public statements.