The Education of Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, would surely have preferred to kick off the most important month of his young administration in a less precarious position. Last week, he unveiled his plans to reform France’s notoriously rigid labor market to grant more flexibility to small companies to directly negotiate some aspects of their contracts with employees, rather than involving the government, as was previously the case. His ability to take on one of the most radioactive issues in French politics, a reform he has repeatedly called his priority, will set the tone for the rest of his five-year term.

There is no serious institutional hurdle standing in Macron’s way. He boasts a large majority in the National Assembly, made up largely of novice lawmakers who pledged to support his platform during the campaign. They have granted him the authority to bypass parliamentary debate to pass these measures. He has also already received support from two of the three major labor unions.

Yet nothing will come easy forheld a strike on Tuesday, while the far left Jean-Luc Mélenchon has called for his supporters to take the streets on the 23. Both are protesting the free-market orientation of Macron’s labor reforms. More problematic for Macron, though, is the 22-point in his popularity rating over the summer. At 40 percent, he is less popular than his two predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, at the same point in their first terms.