As the French gear up for their parliamentary elections, results are speculated to leave President Emmanuel Macron in an awkward position with a far-right prime minister and weaken his stature abroad.

After the first round of polls, Marcon's centrist alliance came in third, showing a possibility of their defeat in Sunday’s runoff. If the far-right National Rally and its allies, who focus on anti-immigration policies, win this parliamentary election, Macron may be in a tough spot to work with a prime minister having different views on vital issues.

To form a functioning government, Macron may have to offer a deal to his rivals. His plans that focused on boosting France's economy through pro-business policies may be tarnished after this election.

Who is Emmanuel Macron?

The youngest-ever President of France, Emmanuel Macron, started his movement "En Marche !" in 2016. The centrist and liberal party was later renamed La République En Marche ! in 2022, which translates to Republic Forward. He is the eighth President of the Fifth Republic of France since his victory in the presidential election in 2017. 

Born in December 1977 in Amiens, Macron studied philosophy and later graduated from the renowned Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 2004. He worked as a civil servant with the Inspectorate General of Finance and an investment banker at Rothschild & Co. He became Deputy General Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic in 2012 and was appointed as the Minister for Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs in 2014, where he was in the office for two years.

In 2017, Macron was at the centre of a historic victory in the elections against populist Marine Le Pen, who is posing a threat to him in the current parliamentary elections. He was re-elected as the president in 2022. 

Macron has also been surrounded by controversies regarding many controversial labour reforms that he signed which give companies more liberty in hiring and firing employees. 

After Trump announced that the US would exit the Paris Agreement, an international climate accord adopted at the UN, Macron took a strong stance that the agreement is non-negotiable.

Macron will not step down from his office until the end of his term in 2027 regardless of the 2024 elections.

(With inputs from agencies)