Emmanuel Macron’s decision to plunge into an election campaign with his party unprepared and the French public shunning him is causing consternation among the very people he needs to win over.
Lawmakers and officials from the 46-year-old president’s Renaissance party were still struggling to come to terms with the plan on Tuesday. Some reacted with rage, others were trying to fathom the political logic, and many were downbeat about their prospects.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the president of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, are both opposed to the decision, according to a person familiar with their thinking.