Press
While Macron is shining on the European stage, discontent is growing in France. The president is perceived as a burden.
Paris – Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is seen in Europe as a self-confident, educated and sovereign statesman. But in his home country France, the picture is different. Many French people see him as more of a burden.
A member of parliament from Macron’s coalition said: “You will not see Macron’s face on my campaign posters, I can tell you that.” An official from the Renaissance parliamentary group told Politico: “The Élysée Palace has not really understood the ‘anti-presidential’ mood in France.”
The French people have nothing left for President Macron
According to surveys by the French consulting firm Elabo, seven out of ten French people find their president a burden. Negative associations such as disunity (44 percent), disappointment (42 percent) and hostility (26 percent) dominate when respondents think of Macron. Positive terms such as respect (13 percent) or satisfaction (7 percent) are rarely mentioned.
The French show obvious contempt for Emmanuel Macronwho is perceived as arrogant. This could be due to Macron’s handling of crises. Especially during the Yellow Vest protests and the Corona pandemic, he was perceived as authoritarian and contemptuous. He increasingly became a scapegoat for anti-elitist sentiments.
Macron’s reticence towards the widespread protests against pension reform last year may have been the final nail in the coffin. Since then, he has been perceived as distant and out of touch with reality, as France24 reported.
In the European elections, Macron got his comeuppance: 31.4 percent of voters voted for Marine Le Pen’s far-right party Rassemblement National. That is more than twice as much as the 14.6 percent that Macron’s alliance received. In a survey, almost half of those surveyed said they wanted to “express their dissatisfaction with Emmanuel Macron and the government bring to.”
Early election of the National Assembly probably benefits the right
In response, Macron called for new elections to the National Assembly. This shocked not only Europe, but also the entire political spectrum in France. But Marine Le Pen, who was actually the target of this measure, could benefit from it. Because, unlike the left, the country’s conservatives and right-wingers could more quickly find a common course in order to score points in the election campaign.
Macron is a persona non grata in his own party’s election campaign. He is increasingly seen as arbitrary and accused of having lost touch with reality and of doing more harm than good to his party. “If the president himself speaks out on the election, that is a big risk,” Mathieu Gallard, research analyst at Ipsos, told Politico“What is certain is that if he interferes, he will turn people against him.” Macron’s ruling party is in danger of falling to third place in the election, behind the right and possibly also behind a left-wing alliance.
Unwanted face: Macron should not be part of his own party’s election campaign
The decision to hold another election was described as “the act of madness of a man incapacitated by defeat” by a former Élysée Palace official. “The more he talks, the more points we lose,” said an adviser to a lawmaker from Macron’s Renaissance party.
Many in his party feel let down by their leadership. Only the National Assembly is being re-elected, not the president. “We are being thrown under the bus for a mistake that is his fault,” said a party adviser. Macron has already announced that he will remain president and will not resign even if his alliance suffers a humiliating defeat. “I am running to win,” Macron told the Figaro Magazine.
Did President Macron announce the new elections just out of spite?
After taking part in the D-Day commemorations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden, Macron went into the European elections. “Intoxicated by his own presence” on the international stage, “the disappointment caused by the poor election results hit him hard,” says an Elysée employee about Macron.
Macron reacted defiantly and perhaps ill-advisedly to the defeat: “France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony. Being French basically means choosing to make history and not letting it carry you away,” he said on television as he announced the dissolution of the National Assembly.
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