The French parliamentary elections can be called a "minor revolution". The Assemblée Nationale has been renovated for three quarters for the first time and, in addition, so many women have never been elected before. Among the MPs are also 17 farmers.
The most notable changes within the new French parliament are rejuvenation and more women. Many members of the old guard have been replaced by newcomers to politics. If you look at the composition of the new parliament with an agricultural eye, you will see that the sector is represented with 17 of the 577 members.
peasant voice
The sector is determined to make a peasant voice in French politics. About 126 representatives have registered before the elections to participate in parliament and thus defend the interests of the sector. That is three times the number of the previous elections in 2012. In the end, 17 of them managed to get a seat. That's 2 more than 5 years ago.
The agricultural delegation is a mix of known and unknown farmers. It is a mixed group of active farmers, retirees and farmer administrators. There are 2 well-known names in the list. It concerns two former socialist ministers: Stéphane Le Foll and Guillaume Garot. They were re-elected with 2 and 54,9 percent of the vote in their district respectively.
Victory And Marche
The elections have been positive for French President Macron. He obtained a large majority in parliament with his party, La République En Marche. Representatives of the agricultural sector can be found in 7 of Macron's (and ally Modem's) 361 seats. From the republicans, 8 peasants take their place in parliament and from the socialist camp there are 2 deputies.
For the first time since the beginning of the Fifth Republic in 1958, the traditional "left-right defense" is broken. With the win, the pro-European president can deliver on his campaign promises. One of these promises is to invest in the agricultural sector. According to Macron, agriculture is an important economic pillar for France.
Fulfilling election promises
In any case, Macron wants to reach out to the sector with a promise to invest 5 billion euros in modernizing agricultural companies and addressing problems in the sector. Macron focuses on the family business and, according to him, it is not just about the hectares.
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