Bestselling economist Thomas Piketty criticizes France's Macron for making key mistakes and demonizing the left.

• The far-right in France has made historic gains in the first round of a snap parliamentary election, putting French President Emmanuel Macron in a reckoning.
• Thomas Piketty, a renowned French economist and professor, criticized Macron for overlooking and disparaging France's left-wing as one of his major blunders.
• Piketty stated that if the left vote had not supported Macron against Le Pen in 2022 and 2017, he would not be president. He also added that Macron never truly worked with the people who helped him become president.

The far-right in France has made historic gains in the first round of a snap parliamentary election, putting French President Emmanuel Macron in a reckoning.

The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, and its allies obtained more than 33% of the vote on Sunday, challenging Macron's centrist and globalist policies. If they secure an absolute majority in the second round on Sunday, Macron's power will be significantly diminished.

The French president, who has been in office for over 7 years, faced a high-stakes gamble when he called the election. He portrayed the race as a choice between nationalism and demagoguery or liberal values and a strong, united European Union. However, many now believe that his gamble backfired.

Thomas Piketty, a renowned French economist and professor, criticized Macron for overlooking and disparaging France's left-wing as one of his major blunders.

Piketty, the author of "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," expressed concern that the current government has been demonizing the left in recent weeks, days, and months, despite Macron's election being dependent on the left.

"If the left vote had not supported Macron against Le Pen in 2022 and 2017, he would not have been elected president, and he never truly worked with those who helped him become president."

Piketty characterized France's voting blocs as the far-right, the centrist business bloc, and the left. He stated that Macron's centrist party, Renaissance, received support in affluent areas where there are high concentrations of business elites. Piketty believed that the party thought they could maintain power by catering to these groups.

The left and Macron's supporters are now working together to prevent the far-right from gaining control of France's legislature, as they did in the 2022 and 2017 presidential elections. However, many of Macron's policies, such as cutting welfare, raising the retirement age, and suppressing protests, have caused left-wing voters to become disillusioned with him.

Piketty stated that it is not possible to rule the country with a limited electoral base for an extended period.

"This election serves as a significant lesson for other countries, as the idea of uniting center-right and center-left parties and the winners of globalization to govern against the left and right is not a sustainable solution."

Following the European Parliament elections, which resulted in significant gains for right-wing parties in France, Germany, and Austria, Macron announced a snap parliamentary election on June 9.

Over 200 candidates have announced their withdrawal from the race for France's 577-seat National Assembly ahead of the second round of elections, according to Reuters, citing local media sources. The reason for their withdrawal is to prevent the anti-far-right vote from being split.

Macron has called for a "wide-ranging rally behind republican and democratic" candidates, urging unity among the center-left and center-right.