‘Get Frexit done!’ Campaigners ramp up referendum pressure on Macron after election chaos

Macron forced to beg for 'compromise' after poll defeat

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Last month, Emmanuel Macron saw his Ensemble coalition fall 44 seats short of the threshold required for an absolute majority during the legislative elections in France, winning just 245 seats of the 289 needed. In a further blow, political rival Marine Le Pen led her party to its biggest ever representation in the lower house while the left-wing bloc Nupes, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, now forms the largest opposition force.

Just days after this crisis, the French President was hit by another, and was forced to reject the resignation of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who had only been in the role for a month.

Mr Macron must now form a ruling coalition or lead a minority Government that will have to enter into talks with opponents on a bill-by-bill basis.

Failing that, he faces the nightmare prospect of calling a snap general election – just weeks after he won a second term in office.

But following his recent election disaster, the French President may be forced to cave to Frexit pressure and call a snap referendum on France’s membership of the European Union.

Eric Noirez, a member of the Generation Frexit campaign, told Express.co.uk: “Macron is the embodiment of Europeanism and he is now so weakened that he may not be able to govern.

“Naturally, by force of circumstance, the question of our membership of the EU will impose itself on the public debate and become central to it.

“Opposition parties, if they want to be credible, will increasingly have to take clear positions and commitments on the EU.

“At the very least, they will have to advocate a referendum on our membership of the EU as a United Kingdom.”

Generation Frexit President Charles-Henri Gallois warned pressure to leave the EU could significantly mount on Mr Macron, with the European Parliament elections in 2024 providing a perfect opportunity to make this happen.

He also told Express.co.uk: “I think the true patriots have an historical opportunity to unite during the European elections.

“This union should be done around one idea: a referendum on EU membership.

“I think that it’s the best way for us to get Frexit done.”

Mr Gallois said the fact Mr Macron will now be unable to pass laws without the support of other parties is “great news for French sovereignty”.

He warned the French President’s legitimacy is now “damaged” and he faces a huge uphill battle to “impose his Eurofanatic agenda”.

The Generation Frexit President continued: “Macron has a relative majority. It means that he won’t be able to pass laws without the support of other parties. This is a very good news for French sovereignty.

“His legitimacy is damaged, and he will struggle even more to impose his Eurofanatic agenda.”

Following his election disaster, Mr Noirez warned the French President “simply doesn’t have the upper hand anymore” and is “no longer the master of the game”.

The Frexiteer said: “Above Macron, the European Commission has already officially published, along with the broad economic policy guidelines that it issues as it does every year, the major reforms that it expects from France.

“Unsurprisingly, they include the famous pension reform so decried by the French people – and rightly so, it must be said – as well as the traditional budgetary rigour, which will have to be translated into even greater austerity and will be incompatible with the state of emergency and distress in which some public services find themselves in France.

“By not obtaining an absolute majority on the benches of the National Assembly, Macron risks having all the difficulties to pass the reforms.

“He will find himself at an impasse for his second term in office, since there is a strong risk of absolute incompatibility between the demands and reforms desired by the commission and by the French government and the aspirations of the deputies elected by the people.

“Now we are entering a competition where Macron is no longer the master of the game.”

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