MACRON SPEECH. Emmanuel Macron gave a speech on Wednesday June 22, calling on the opposition parties to position themselves on their “part of cooperation” after the legislative elections. The speech gave rise to the first responses from LR, RN and Nupes on Thursday…
Emmanuel Macron gave a televised speech on Wednesday June 22, 2022 in which he took note of the “fractures” shown by the result of the 2022 legislative elections and assured that he wanted to “build compromises” with his opponents, urging them to “clarify” their position as here Friday night. This compromise proposal, formulated in this eight-minute televised address from the Elysee Palace, was his first direct reaction since the election.
In his speech watched by 15.5 million viewers, Emmanuel Macron estimated that at the end of the legislative elections “no political force can today make the laws alone”, a “new fact”, which obliges both the tenant of the Elysée, its executive, and its opponents in the Assembly, to “govern and legislate differently”. Using the word “compromise” many times, Emmanuel Macron nevertheless ruled out the idea of a government of national unity, a hypothesis he had tested with several leaders received on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I hear and I am determined to take into account the desire for change that the country has clearly requested”, Emmanuel Macron announced again before flying off on Thursday June 23 for a European summit in Brussels. “We will have to build compromises, enrichments, amendments, but do so in complete transparency, in the open if I may say so, in a desire for unity and action for the nation”, he detailed.
After the debacle of his camp in the legislative elections and several days of agitation within the Assembly, where the absence of a clear majority could block the country, Emmanuel Macron sent a handful of messages to the French, but especially to the leaders of the opposition. The Head of State, however, did not make any major announcement during this speech:
- Legislative. Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in his speech on June 22 that he had obtained a “relative presidential majority” during the legislative elections. “These legislative elections have made the presidential majority the first force in the National Assembly”, but “no political force can make the laws alone” now according to him.
- Government. The head of state has not revealed his intentions on the future of Elisabeth Borne at Matignon or on a possible reshuffle to come, while the future of the government appointed in mid-May is in question. After having received the party leaders at the Elysée for the past two days, he ruled out the possibility of a “government of national unity”, which they, like himself, reject.
- Coalition. In his speech, Emmanuel Macron rather sketched out the idea of a “coalition” or “agreements” on a case-by-case basis on certain texts in the Assembly to continue to carry out the “ambitious reforms” which the country needs according to him. “We must collectively learn to govern and legislate differently,” he said, saying he was “convinced of the desire for political overcoming since day one” and of the possibility of building “a larger and clearer majority to act “.
- Diary. Emmanuel Macron, who flew to a European Council the day after his speech, called on each party leader to decide during this time on the “share of cooperation” he would like to take in this “political overrun” which he calls for, with “clarity and responsibility”. “Each politician will have to say how far he is ready to go,” he warned. On his return on Friday June 24, “in the light of the first choices”, he intends to “build this new method” of governance which is now imposed on him. Government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire then assured that the head of state had “not set a 48-hour ultimatum”. After his return to Paris, Emmanuel Macron will fly again on Sunday for a G7 in Germany, then on June 28 for a NATO summit in Madrid.
The appeal launched by Emmanuel Macron to the parties, which some have described as an “ultimatum”, has not failed to make the opposition react, some of which have already put forward their position on the “compromise” requested by the leader of State. The opposition has mostly returned the ball to Emmanuel Macron’s court, urging him to propose concrete measures for the French, while wishing to give back to Parliament its full role in the examination of texts “on a case-by-case basis”.
For Republicans, main targets of the macronists to find agreements, Aurélien Pradié, secretary general, dismissed the idea of a “coalition contract”, specifying: “we refused it because it is nonsense at the level of our ideas.” LR “refuses” any contract that would erase everyone’s political “convictions”. “So it will be for us on a case-by-case basis” on the vote on texts in Parliament, therefore warned the president of the LR group in the Senate Bruno Retailleau. The Republicans themselves intend to propose measures next week, AFP said Thursday, June 23, citing the new leader of their group Olivier Marleix. The latter also indicated that he refused to make a “blank check, moreover on an unclear project”, to the Head of State.
Nupes, via the deputy Manuel Bompard also rejected the hypothesis of general agreements with the president and the government: “it is impossible for us to participate in the implementation of the project of the President of the Republic”. “It’s up to him to see how far he can go for the French,” added Nupes-LFI deputy François Ruffin, echoing the words of the president. Julien Bayou, leader of Europe-Ecology The greens promises proposals on ecology from the united left.
The Socialist Party does not seem more inclined to help the Head of State. Valérie Rabault, former boss of the Socialist group in the Assembly, estimated Thursday June 23 that it is Emmanuel Macron “who is up against the wall, not us […]. If he stays on his project, he does not have an absolute majority, and it is he who is stuck, it is he who will block France”. The socialist, elected under the label of Nupes, claims “very concrete things”, for example the Smic at 1500 euros among the next measures of the executive.
The National Rally believes that it is rather up to Emmanuel Macron to “make a path towards the opposition parties” according to Jordan Bardella. “It’s up to him to take the first step […]to now indicate on which points he is ready to make amends to take into account the verdict of the ballot box”, added the interim president of the RN, citing the need to “give up” retirement at 65 and “lower” taxes on fuel Marine Le Pen had promised Tuesday, June 21 that the RN would examine the texts “in the light of the interest of the French and France”.
In the majority, despite these reactions, we believe in harmony and the virtues of time. The “dialogue” with the opposition is “engaged” for “several days, perhaps even several weeks”, assured government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire on Thursday June 23, specifying that the Head of State “will possibly see the presidents of the political forces and will discuss with them by listening”.
Gilles Boyer, founding member of Horizons with Edouard Philippe, who had called for building a “grand coalition”, confirms that the party continues to try to form one with certain LR, PS or EELV. “A coalition is what: it is to identify the major reforms on which we could find points of agreement. And then build a government agreement”, he explains, predicting “several days, weeks or even a few months of discussions” to achieve this.
François Bayrou (Modem), another Macronist ally, nevertheless warned against “the idea that it is enough to recreate a majority which was not given by the voters” to “continue business as usual”, at the risk to go towards “new accidents” electoral.