French press review 12 May 2017

Emmanuel Macron faces his first major test as criticism pours in from all sides of choices made by his party of candidates for next month's parliamentary election. And he's not even president yet!

Emmanuel Macron may soon start wondering why he bothered.

The party created by the French president-elect yesterday named more than 400 candidates for next month's election for seats in the French parliament, in which the new president is hoping to win a majority.

There are 577 seats up for grabs. Macron's movement has announced only 428 names but has promised more soon as part of its programme to redesign the French political landscape.

Deals are understood to be in the pipeline with a number of right-wing MPs in constituencies where Macron's machine has no serious contender.

A lot is going to depend on who Macron chooses as his prime minister, says Le Monde, a decision which cannot be announced until after Sunday's handover of power between François Hollande and the new man.

The centrist daily says several right-wing luninaries have said they'll collaborate with Macron but only if he names one of them as prime minister.

François Baroin, who is leading the conservative Republicans election campaign has denounced the Macron list as a bunch of "recycled sacked Socialists".

In fact, there are only 21 outgoing deputies among the 428 names so far confirmed.

Even Macron's centrist supporter François Bayrou is angry. He says his supporters have been given only 35 constituencies, against the 120 originally promised.

Macron's man, Richard Ferrand, says there are no done deals and that each candidate has been assessed on his or her merits, not their party affiliation. "We've picked the best people in each case."

Bayrou's boys are to meet today to hammer out a strategy in reply.

Five things you should know about the new Macronites

Right-wing daily Le Figaro says there are five things to be learned from the list of names already published.

The first is that there have been no deserters from the conservative ship. According to Le Figaro, not a single figure from the Republicans has broken ranks and agreed to contest the election in Macron's colours. Not yet.

Secondly, as already noted, key Macron ally François Bayrou is not at all gruntled. Le Figaro quotes him as saying the current list is not what he and Macron agreed at the start of their partnership.

Le Figaro counts only 17 out-going Socialist MPs among the 428 names already confirmed, saying several other applicants were refused nomination. Macron's people have, for example, rejected former prime minister Manuel Valls but have promised they won't run a candidate against him. Valls, who has said the Socialist Party is dead, will run as a free agent.

More than half the candidates are newcomers to politics, never having previously held any elected office. They include high-ranking former police officers, a bullfighter and a winner of the Fields Medal in maths.

Their average age is 46 years, seven years older than the boss.

Finally, says Le Figaro, the whole thing has been a disaster, with people named who never had anything to do with Macron and never asked to be put on the list. At least one nominee has been condemned by a French court, so he's automatically out according to party rules. And several have refused.

We should have a new, correct, list later this evening.

Never mind the list, just look at the money!

Whatever about lists, left-leaning Libération looks at something Macron does very well - raising money. He formed his party from scratch 13 months ago, without a centime in the bank, not a shred of state subsidy and no members. But he still managed to put together the not inconsiderable sum of 15 million euros needed to finance his victorious presidential campaign. How?

Libé notes that Macron scrupulously respected the law concerning political fundraising, frequently sending back the surplus to those whose generosity exceded the legal limit.

Banks and the bosses of several French startups were Macron's earliest supporters, and he collected 7,500 euros each from 30 personal friends.

Most donors said they were convinced by the man himself, despite a certain lack of clarity on policy. The figures always made sense. Impressive.

Let's hope he can do the same for France.