A dialogue with all the political parties represented in Parliament for “transpartisan” texts, even referendums: Emmanuel Macron sketched this Wednesday, August 23 the outlines of his “major political initiative”, supposed to unblock a complex situation in Parliament .
During the back-to-school Council of Ministers at the Elysée, the Head of State mentioned his roadmap, which he had announced this summer and the details of which must be refined in an interview to be published in the weekly Point.
Still lacking an absolute majority in the Assembly, Emmanuel Macron intends to receive next week the leaders of all the political forces represented in Parliament. A first inflection compared to previous indications where reference was made to “the republican arc”, an expression that has become common in Macronie to exclude the National Rally and La France insoumise. These discussions, said the Head of State, could lead to cross-partisan bills, or even referendums, according to participants in the Council of Ministers.
In six years of presidency, Emmanuel Macron has several times raised the possibility of referendums, without having resorted to them so far. This summer, the Elysée explained that the objective of these upcoming meetings was to seek, on a case-by-case basis, majorities on key topics such as immigration, order, work, public services or even the ecology.
Borne promises not to raise household taxes
“Everything must be done to avoid” the “blockage” that a possible motion of censure would represent voted by the right with the other oppositions and therefore likely to bring down the government, explained at the beginning of the week a framework of the majority.
On Wednesday, the president also wanted to cut short the “little music on tax increases” which rustles in the political class and in economic circles, while the executive prepares a 2024 budget which promises to be very delicate. Emmanuel Macron has also admitted that it would be necessary to “make choices”, while the executive is looking for savings to stem the deficit.
Charge to the Prime Minister to decline this word. “There is no question, it is not at all the philosophy of the government, to increase household taxes. On the contrary, we want to continue to lower taxes while obviously being attentive to the purchasing power of the middle classes “, declared Elisabeth Borne shortly after during her back-to-school interview. on France Bleu.
But while the property tax, set by the cities, looks set to rise sharply, she acknowledged that her commitment only concerned the state budget. And she admitted that the increase in medical deductibles was “part of the reflections” to balance budgets for 2024 under severe financial constraint. The government “will have to decide very soon”, announced the Prime Minister.
If she assured that purchasing power remained a priority for the executive, she also explained that a new “fuel check” was not on the table, ensuring that we should not expect ” a spike in prices “at the pump” in the coming weeks.
“2027 is a long way off”
The start of the school year will once again be a test for Emmanuel Macron, re-elected in 2022 but deprived of a majority in the Assembly. In the immediate future, he will be confronted with the risk of seeing his own authority over his troops decline as the pretenders to his succession emancipate themselves. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, opened the ball early by saying this summer “to worry about what will happen in 2027”. And will try to punctuate the rhythm of the start of the school year with his political meeting on Sunday in his stronghold of Tourcoing.
If Emmanuel Macron made “no allusion” to the meeting organized by his restless minister, according to another member of the government, Elisabeth Borne sent him a thinly veiled warning: “2027 is a long way off”, she launched, stressing that her “concern” was “really the cohesion of the government”.