L’Express: Emmanuel Macron was re-elected with more than 58% of the vote. Is Europe relieved by this victory?
Richard Werley: Yes, it is indisputable. Not only is Europe heaving a sigh of relief, but Europe was also an absolutely huge part of the political equation that led to Emmanuel Macron’s victory. The presidency of Marine Le Pen would have been a leap into the void. She herself didn’t really know where to set her limits, she couldn’t say where her project was going to lead. You have to see the speed with which European leaders congratulated Emmanuel Macron…
Does this result give Emmanuel Macron a clear mandate to lead France?
58% is a clear, clear mandate, which clearly differentiates it from its predecessors. There is no place to sue him for legitimacy, which is very important. On the other hand, there is a real questioning about the nature of the mandate and moreover his victory speech is intended to be extremely cautious. He gives himself the time to reflect and to propose a formula, as he said, “of collective innovation”.
Does this victory give him a new dynamic at European level?
For Europe, the mandate is clear: continue to link France to the European Union, with very French requirements. France will remain anchored to Germany, or in any case to the Franco-German partnership. Thereupon, his mandate suffers from no question. Moreover, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, in his speech, did not speak of Europe. I retained the formula in which he says that France must not be “sold to the cut”. I found it to be very strong. The subject of Jean-Luc Mélenchon is above all economic and social, but not on Europe.
The extreme right has never been so high in France, abstention is very strong. Is it worrying for the country? Should it modernize its democracy?
In Switzerland, we have lived for thirty years with an extreme right at 35%. Our system is not at all the same as the French system, but ultimately we don’t live so badly with a very high extreme right. The system managed to channel it.
This question is asked in France. We are not going to transform the voters of Marine Le Pen into voters of Emmanuel Macron. The real question is to know how to channel them in the right sense of the word, that is to say find ways for them to express their anger, their dissatisfaction, their resentment more, so that they can be heard more.
Marine Le Pen at 42% is not a French political earthquake, it is a reality. Like in the United States, like in other European countries. The system must be adjusted so that it does not lead to a new confrontation in five years. The worry is the Obama syndrome: ten years of Barack Obama, which end with Donald Trump. Is France replicating this with the French Obama? If so, it will end with Marine Le Pen or whoever will succeed her.