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Article snippet: PARIS — When Emmanuel Macron was campaigning to become the president of France, he laid out an ambitious plan to overhaul what many said were third-rail pillars of the country — retirement benefits and employee protections, for example — in order to make the country more competitive. When he won an upset victory and began choosing a cabinet to carry out his plan, many questioned whether Mr. Macron, 39, could ever come up with enough legislative candidates to pass his agenda. But he did, selecting a roster of newcomers to politics that included minorities and many women. On Sunday, the French will vote in the first of two rounds for representatives to the National Assembly, the powerful lower house of the French Parliament and, in essence, decide whether to back the man, his cabinet and his plan. Mr. Macron needs an outright majority in the 577-seat National Assembly to have a clear path to enact his sweeping program. His party and an allied party that is running with his are fielding more than 400 districts. If 289 or more from the president’s party are elected, he will have his majority. Any fewer would mean having to work with other parties, or worse, seeing another party obtain a majority, allowing it to impose a new prime minister and government on Mr. Macron — seriously hampering his ability to carry out domestic changes. However, if the polls are any measure, Mr. Macron is expected to easily win a majority. His victory in the presidential race on May 7 deci... Link to the full article to read more