By announcing a period of one hundred days for a new start after a stumbling block, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledges the political impasse he has reached a year after his re-election.

On April 24, 2022, the 44-year-old president was re-elected, defeating far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the second round, just as he had done five years earlier.

This is an achievement under the Fifth Republic outside the period of coexistence, on the part of the person who caused a surprise in 2017 by positioning himself in the middle to dismantle the old political divisions.

But the launch of this second term, which will be the last according to the constitution, immediately lost its momentum.

The election campaign was affected by the war in Ukraine, and then the legislative elections deprived him of an absolute majority in the National Assembly.

Finally, the controversial pension reform, which raised the retirement age to 64, caused a major political and social crisis.

The result was a head of state who seeks to find a way to continue reform and finds himself forced to achieve a majority according to the texts.

And for a period of time he succeeded in achieving this goal.

The executive reminds everyone that before the retirement age of 64 was finally imposed without a vote thanks to the controversial Article 49.3 of the Constitution, more than two dozen other texts were passed with votes from the right and sometimes the left — from renewable energy to nuclear to purchasing power.

Macron asserts, "We are progressing with difficulty," while positively evaluating "the outcome of six years" in the presidency.

Macron's great frustration is the vociferous public anger whose "successes" marginalize low unemployment, the beginning of the country's re-industrialization, and shields to partially protect the French from skyrocketing prices.

In fact, Emmanuel Macron is not very popular, as it has recorded its lowest levels since the beginning of the “yellow vests” crisis, the protest movement that emerged at the end of 2018 against the backdrop of discontent with fuel prices.

"The reform of the pension system is behind the decline in its popularity," said Celine Braque, general director of the Odoxa pollster. She told Agence France-Presse that she reinforced the most negative features of his image, such as his "contempt for the French" and he is often criticized for it.

During a speech on Monday to try to put an end to three months of protests over the pension system, Macron announced a "gift of 100 days" and "work" and set a date for July 14, National Day, for a "preliminary assessment".

Meanwhile, after staying out of the limelight since the beginning of the year, he resumed his field visits. He visited Alsace on Wednesday, where he was booed.

The Elysee Palace described what happened as a "collective outlet for anger."

"It is an essential stage for reopening the papers" and "obtaining a truce," said one of the president's confidants.

Through his plan, he hopes that "it will be difficult at first" before "things will gradually improve" according to "the theory of throwing punches and getting up after each blow."

"The 100-day period announced by Emmanuel Macron is a way of saying (...) + there was a failure in the launch and there was a misunderstanding between us and we are starting from scratch +," said Philippe Moreau-Chevole, professor of political sciences at Sciences Po University.

According to him, the president will try to "make something new every day" by making field visits, and by renewing union calls in May.

The executive authority did not solve the parliamentary equation.

For her part, Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne failed to "expand" the majority in the National Assembly. But due to the lack of an alternative, according to many sources close to Macron, the president has now decided to install the government and has renewed his confidence in it, albeit reluctantly.

During downtime, the prime minister should present a roadmap on Wednesday but she doesn't really know at this point how the most divisive texts, starting with immigration, will be adopted.

Celine Braque warns that "any major reform will face obstacles at the present time," and believes that the president "will be forced to practice politics on a small scale," contrary to "the initial promises made by Macron."