Emmanuel Macron decided to speak this Thursday, December 5, to initiate a new sequence after the fall of the Barnier government. What if he announced an unexpected measure in his speech?
Emmanuel Macron will deliver a solemn speech to the French at 8 p.m. this evening from the Elysée. This speech, to follow from this article live and on video, was announced yesterday evening by a press release from the Élysée, a few minutes after the vote on the motion of censure in the National Assembly, which pushed Michel Barnier to the resignation. What will the Head of State say this Thursday evening? We already know that he has scheduled this intervention on television, which will be broadcast on TF1, France 2 and on the news channels, to share his analysis of the situation.
And by analysis, it will be more a question of reprimands than of questioning. According to the information from FigaroEmmanuel Macron was surprised by the number of deputies who voted to censure the government, and “considers that an anti-republican front has been formed in the Assembly”. Among his followers and those close to him, the president considers that the RN deputies, the LFI deputies but also all the socialist and environmentalist deputies have erred in an irresponsible attitude. In his speech, the President of the Republic should explain the reasons for his anger, and describe the elected officials who brought down Michel Barnier in very harsh terms. The head of state, according to Le Figaro, is particularly angry with PS elected officials.
Without opposition, alone in front of his camera at the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron will not answer the question of the democratic legitimacy of his now ex-Prime Minister, which he considers to be a view of the minds of left-wing elected officials. For the president, a government which only exists with the agreement of the far right is not a problem; he is also ready to renew the tacit agreement with Marine Le Pen. The Republican front which expressed itself during the legislative elections? In my opinion, move around, there is nothing to see.
A new Prime Minister this evening?
In his speech, the president will want to reassure. Concerned about the economic attractiveness of France, he should insist that the country’s economy is solid, that investors have no reason to fear instability, which he considers temporary.
Will the president appoint a new prime minister this evening? It’s possible, and he probably doesn’t lack the desire. He informed several journalists, from Le Monde, from BFMTV and from Le Parisien, that he intended to move very quickly to replace Michel Barnier. But it’s not clear he’ll be able to commit to a name today. Emmanuel Macron must ensure that the next tenant of Matignon will not be censored upon his appointment, which requires a few phone calls, negotiations and explanations. With the person concerned, but even more with the heads of political groups in the Assembly – including Marine Le Pen.
Can he go even further in this television intervention? The president is under fire from increasingly intense criticism, which is also emerging in his own camp. The institutional crisis, born from the dissolution and recomposition of the Assembly, whose groups refuse any coalition, is increasingly perceived as being his responsibility. Emmanuel Macron will not resign, he has repeated it over and over in recent weeks. But it would not be crazy for him to make a commitment so that a political roadmap emerges.
A hypothesis that would make sense? Let him give a timetable for his intentions: is he really counting on a government capable of reforming the country until 2027? Does he plan to dissolve the National Assembly again next summer? This is an announcement which could provide a political horizon and put the parties in charge, with a view to a new campaign. This would also provide the next government with a working framework with clear deadlines.