Critics say France’s new PM is just a mini-Macron. But can he see off the far right? | Alexander Hurst

Credible centre-left figures were passed over for 34-year-old Gabriel Attal, who will soon face Marine Le Pen's own protege

To an American (now French by naturalisation) who spent four traumatised years being metaphorically punched in the face over and over by the unceasing nature of Donald Trump's latest outrage", Emmanuel Macron will never merit the hysterical reactions he provokes in France. Rather, he is a president of missed opportunities, and with a problem similar to Joe Biden's: his record is far from bad, but the vibe" that carried him to the Elysee in 2017 has long since shifted from enthusiasm to generalised discontent.

Public dissatisfaction with Macron has been fuelled by his outgoing prime minister Elisabeth Borne's repeated recourse to a deeply unpopular constitutional measure, article 49.3, to get laws passed - including hated pension reforms - in the absence of a clear legislative majority. The clause inverts normal legislative proceedings and is supposed to be a last resort, not a routine feature of government.

Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist