Emmanuel Macron's "big gamble" with holding early parliamentary elections is likely to fail, reads an article by European correspondent of the Sky News channel Adam Parsons, Report informs.
More than anything, this is about two big political waves meeting each other. The first one has to do with Macron himself, whose popularity has simply declined. The second has to do with the ripple of populism that is moving through so many countries.
When he stormed to the presidency seven years ago, he was seen by many as the fresh new start that France needed - a dynamic young man, just 39 years old, who would shake up the nation and bring back some sense of dynamism and glory.
In the run-off against Ms Le Pen, he pitched himself as the politician of optimism, and her as a figure of hate. It worked - he won easily.
His follow-up victory a couple of years ago was less overwhelming but still comfortable. But then he lost control of the parliament and his control waned.
The old complaints came back - that he is, to quote an accusation I've heard countless times - the "president for the rich"; that he doesn't understand the problems of normal people; that his interest is in promoting himself, not his country.
If politics is a horseshoe, this is Mr Macron's problem. The far-left leaders, like Jean-Luc Melenchon, condemn the President for not doing enough to protect workers and for damaging the fabric of society. So, too, do Ms Le Pen, Mr Bardella and the far-right.