Editorial: The French president’s extraordinary tenure has been fuelled by his willingness to take risks – a willingness that now looks set to be his political undoing

For a man who started his very own political movement from scratch, took the presidency within a year, and then won again in difficult circumstances, it is hard to believe that Emmanuel Macron could have taken such a senseless gamble with his legacy and, rather more to the point, with the future of his political project and his country.

Humiliated in the European parliament elections, when his Ensemble alliance finished a poor second to the neo-fascists, President Macron took everyone by surprise by calling a snap election for the National Assembly. It was at this point that, so used to winning, he overplayed a weak hand and lost. Few others thought it would pay off; they were right.

At this first stage in two rounds of parliamentary elections due to be completed on Sunday, it seems that he will lose the control he currently has over parliament, and thus the domestic agenda. In a few more days, he may also end up with the worst of all possible worlds – a nation without a functioning government, and far-right leader Marine Le Pen ready to finish the job and seize power at the next presidential election in 2027.