The last one is called Charles de Gaulle. The general was until then the only president to be able to go beyond a seven-year term with a majority supporting him. Emmanuel Macron, elected on May 7, 2017, just seven years ago, still has a majority, albeit a small one, in the National Assembly, when his two predecessors having been re-elected, François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, were confronted to the pangs of cohabitation.
This president loves history and symbols. He therefore wanted to celebrate this date by granting a long interview to La Tribune Sunday to emphasize a point: he “still has so much to do”. But the interview was above all an opportunity for a change of direction, although discreet, important nonetheless. After the 2022 legislative elections, which deprived him of an absolute majority in the National Assembly, Emmanuel Macron had his close friends say that if the government were to be censored, it would immediately cause a dissolution. The message was clear: be careful, oppositions, smart, smart and a half.
In La Tribune Sundaythe president delivers a completely different message: “If a motion of censure were to be voted on, I would draw the political and institutional consequences which will depend on the circumstances. […] I’m not going to give them to you cold.” There is no longer any automatism in his mind – and in fact, the head of state is not institutionally obliged to refer the deputies to the voters, he can appoint another government It must be said that the presidential majority seems even more restricted today than in June 2022, which does not necessarily encourage all boldness. A poll even announced a majority leaning dangerously towards the National Rally. in the event of early legislative elections.
Soon the presidential pre-campaign
This president loves symbols and history. Emmanuel Macron sometimes emphasizes that he was re-elected better in April 2022 than de Gaulle in 1965: 58.5% for him, 55.2% for the general. But the precedent points to something else: the more time passes, the more a president must learn to distrust his Prime Minister. Yesterday it was Georges Pompidou, the man with all the loyalty to the general, who distanced himself: tomorrow it is Gabriel Attal who will think more about his destiny than about his understanding with Emmanuel Macron. Having pushed him to debate with Jordan Bardella shows that the president is well aware of this…
All this because of… Nicolas Sarkozy! In 2008, he amended the Constitution, making more than two consecutive presidential terms impossible. In 2018, a year after his accession to the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron blurted out in front of visitors: “The only elected official on whom this is imposed is my apple.”
It happened tomorrow, or almost. The first day of the remainder of his presidency begins Wednesday May 8 in Marseille. The Olympic Games must make it possible to maintain the flame of France, which carries all its weight in the world. But the Olympics will also be the lid on the pot, which will quickly close the parenthesis of the European elections which are not necessarily promising for Macronie.
The Olympics will also come to an end. Then the political world will obviously shift into the pre-presidential campaign. Macronie has not established any selection rule allowing the central axis to have only one representative in the Elysian competition: this is called playing with fire, when the extremes, on both sides of the chessboard, keep advancing their pawns. Because for the heirs of Emmanuel Macron, the important thing in 2027 will obviously not be just to participate.
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