Yellow Vest Protests Force Fuel Tax Reversal

A proposed fuel tax increase, layered onto already-high pump prices, triggered the "Gilets Jaunes" movement in November 2018 — weekly protests that drew up to 3 million participants at their peak and frequently turned violent. Macron cancelled the tax within a month, but the movement broadened into a wider revolt over living costs and perceived elite disconnection that shaped the rest of his first term.

Emmanuel Macron — Renaissance (formerly La République En Marche)

In power 2017–present