Learn Vocabulary from Newspaper Articles (THE HINDU)

Macron once more: On LREM's Victory in National Assembly election

With a parliamentary majority, he is well placed to heal an ideological rift in Europe

The large majority for his La République En Marche in the National Assembly elections in France has cleared the path for President Emmanuel Macron’s government to implement his ambitious, if sometimes contentious, policies. Along with its Democratic Movement allies, the LREM has won 350 of 577 seats. While the majority is smaller than the landslide many had predicted, the LREM’s performance continues to show that the old system is being crowded out, with the mainstream Socialist Party on the left and the Republicans on the right suffering severe setbacks. From running the previous government, the Socialists have been relegated to a historically low position with around 30 seats, and their leader, Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, has resigned after losing his own seat. The Republicans and their allies have won 137 seats, down from 199 seats in the previous Assembly. On the far left, the Insoumise have secured more than the 15 seats required to form a parliamentary group. This is less than what their charismatic leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon had hoped for, but he himself has retained his seat and the Insoumise would be looking to develop as an opposition movement, especially in light of the attenuating Socialist Party. The far right’s Front National, with its core xenophobic and nativist philosophy seen to be damaging not just to the Fifth Republic but to all of Europe, has done better than projected but is still well short of its goal of 15 seats.

Mr. Macron’s economic policy proposals are a mix of right and left. They include cutting government spending and jobs, while investing in strategic sectors and increasing the scope of some welfare schemes. He has also proposed making labour laws more flexible. The argument that such a large majority for the LREM is dangerous is valid insofar as a strong and sizeable opposition is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. But the ‘neither left nor right’ criticism of Mr. Macron’s policies suggests an openness in the LREM’s ideology. Additionally, some three-quarters of the new legislators did not hold a seat in 2012, and therefore they contribute to a renewal of the Assembly. Mr. Macron’s first piece of legislation on ‘moralising’ politics, which seeks to bring greater probity into public life, is also good reason for optimism. Yet, Mr. Macron would do well to remember his presidential victory speech at the Louvre — a promise to reunite a deeply divided country and bring people back from the extremes. The need for this has been brought home again by a record abstention rate for the second round of elections on Sunday, of about 57%. If the month since the presidential election is any indication, Mr. Macron is well-placed to provide the strong leadership both Europe and the democratic world seem to need at the moment. This will have to start at home, where the way is now clear for him. Source : THE HINDU

IMPORTANT WORDS FORM ARTICLE & THEIR MEANING

1) Contentious (विवादास्पद) - Cun-ten-shi-us

Meaning - causing or likely to cause an argument, controversial - Adjective

Synonyms - controversial, disputable

Antonyms - agreeable

Example - Sanctions are expected to be among the most contentiousissues.

2) Relegated (निर्वासित कर देना) - Rele-gate-ed

Meaning - assign an inferior rank or position to - Verb

Synonyms - downgrade, lower

Antonyms - upgrade, promote

Example - Women tended to be relegated to typing and filing jobs.

3) Charismatic (करिश्माई) - kar-is-mat-ik

Meaning - exercising a compelling charm which inspires devotion in others - Adjective

an adherent of the charismatic movement - Noun

Synonyms - appealing, magnetic

Example - The charismatic cult leader convinced his followers he was the only path to heaven.

4) Attenuating (तनूकृत) - A-ten-yew-ate-ing

Meaning - reduce the force, effect, or value of - Verb

Synonyms - constrict, vitiate

Antonyms - assist, amplify

Example - The fat girl was attenuated by hunger.

5) Xenophobic (ज़नोफोबिक) - zeno-pho-bick

Meaning - having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries - Adjective

Synonyms - racist, nationalist

Antonyms - impartial, patient

Example - The French are proud and highly xenophobic when it comes to cooking.

6) Reunite (पुनर्मिलन) - Re-u-nite

Meaning - come together or cause to come together again after a period of separation or disunity - Verb

Synonyms - join, reconcile

Antonyms - estrange, separate

Example - Many die hard fans hope that the community will reunite.

7) Abstention (बचाव) - Abs-ten-shun

Meaning - an instance of declining to vote for or against a proposal or motion - Noun

Synonyms - abstinence, avoidance

Antonyms - self-indulgence

Example - There were high levels of abstention in the last elections.

8) Candidature (उम्मीदवारी) - Can-di-da-chur

Meaning - the fact or condition of standing for a position or status, candidacy - Noun
Synonyms - candidacy, electioneering
Example (English) - Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed happiness over Governor Ram Nath Kovind's candidature for the President's post.
Example (Hindi) - बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार ने राष्ट्रपति पद के लिए राज्यपाल रामनाथ कोविंद की उम्मीदवारी पर खुशी जाहिर की।

Now considering the article above as a Reading Comprehension question, try to answer the following -

• Why should Americans be paying attention to this election?
• What are the top issues of the campaign?

Given below are some words to check your vocabulary you can make sentences with those words in the comment section which will be reviewed by us.

• Implement
• Ambitious
• Predicted
• Criticism