WHEN Emmanuel Macron was elected French president in May last year, the party he founded felt “orphaned”, says Gilles Le Gendre, deputy leader of its parliamentary 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 movement 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 thriving hub. Young people in hoodies huddled 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...Continue reading
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