The Economist Asia - 20.01.2018

The EconomistJanuary 20th 2018 43

For daily analysis and debate on Europe, visit

Economist.com/europe

1

W

HEN Emmanuel Macron was elect-

ed French president in May last year,

the party he founded felt “orphaned”, says

Gilles Le Gendre, deputy leader of its par-

liamentary group. Those who had worked

tirelessly as volunteers for his improbable

political adventure were thrilled, to be

sure. But they also felt as if they had “lost a

father”. En Marche! began life less than

two years ago with a forceful leader but no

money and no deputies. After Mr Macron

stepped into the presidency, it secured

those, but lost its boss.

The transformation of a political move-

ment based on grass-roots volunteers into

a formal political party has turned into a

curiously difficult exercise. En Marche!

campaign headquarters used to be a thriv-

ing hub. Youngpeople in hoodieshuddled

over laptops. Empty takeaway boxes were

strewn in corners. But the moment Mr

Macron was elected, members of his

young campaign team disappeared to jobs

in government or at the Elysée presidential

palace. Julien Denormandie, a co-founder

of En Marche!, became a junior minister. Is-

maël Emelien, another co-founder, went to

advise the president. Benjamin Griveaux,

the campaign spokesman, is now the gov-

ernment’s spokesman. Others, passed

over for top jobs, drifted backto academia

shell. LRM now enjoys public subsidy,

thanks to its electoral success last year, and

has rented new premises in the capital’s

heart. Yet it is groping about for a role. Poli-

cy debates take place inside government

ministries and at the presidency, or within

the parliamentary group, not the party. En

Marche! has no director of studies, nor a

policy publication. It does not see itself as a

think-tank, or generator of ideas.

This is partlydeliberate. En Marche! is a

movement, not an old-style party. Mr Mac-

ron “wanted to turn the structure upside

down, and have a headquarters lite,” ex-

plains Amélie de Montchalin, a 32-year-old

LRM deputy. The president wants to focus

on keeping the promises in his manifesto,

not dreaming up new measures. Theori-

sing about the new alignment of French

party politics, it seems, or the future role of

the state, can be left to others. But if the

party has been drained of its expertise and

ideas, an existential question arises: what

is En Marche! now for?

Many roles or none

Some see it as a megaphone for the govern-

ment. “We said it, we’re doing it,” for in-

stance, is an initiative designed to publicise

the laws that have been passed, and match

them to promises made. Another job is to

act as talent scout for future campaigns.

Christophe Castaner, who became LRM’s

leader late lastyear, this month launched a

mentoring service for people in the regions

with ideas about how to improve public

life. At the previous elections to local gov-

ernment and the European Parliament, En

Marche! did not exist. Now it aims to build

a network of people it can train as future

candidates, and topple the ossified parties,

or business.

At the same time, many of the enthusi-

asts who setup local support committees

for Mr Macron went on to stand for parlia-

ment, under the banner ofLa République

en Marche (LRM). The National Assembly

is today packed with LRM deputies, who

occupy 62% of all seats when combined

with their friends from a centrist party, Mo-

Dem. Teachers, businesspeople, farmers:

many deputies had no experience of poli-

tics, and had to bury themselves in the

rules of parliamentary procedure. Few

have time to worry about the party itself.

As a parliamentary party, LRM was ac-

cused of arrogance by some, incompe-

tence by others. “At first, everybody want-

ed to do everything: join every group,

speak in every session,” says Hervé Ber-

ville, a Rwandan-born deputy from Britta-

ny. “Now we’ve learned to prioritise.” Dep-

uties are better shepherded now that their

parliamentary leader, Richard Ferrand, an

old ally of Mr Macron’s, is properly back in

the job after being cleared in a judicial in-

vestigation. Above all, the formergrass-

roots activists—ormarcheurs, as they liked

to call themselves—have turned into a loy-

al legislative army for the government.

As a result, though, the movement in

Paris has become something of an empty

France’s En Marche!

What’s it for?

PARIS

The political movement that Emmanuel Macron rode to power needs a new role

Europe

Also in this section

44 Germany’s coalition woes

45 Chechnya tries to silence a critic

45 Poland’s patriotic smog

45 Czech liberals strike back

46 Turkey’s religious authority

47 Charlemagne: The EU’s hellish in-tray