9:02 p.m., Sunday June 9. France falls into a dizzying unknown, after the presidential announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly. Since then, the campaign has been in full swing to elect the 577 deputies who will make up the National Assembly and who will shape the future majority that will govern the country. This Monday, June 24, Jordan Bardella presented the outlines of the National Rally program. The PS, the PCF and the ecologists have once again ruled out the Mélenchon Prime Minister hypothesis, which the latter nevertheless continues to maintain. Gabriel Attal and Jordan Bardella insist on debating with the former candidate for the presidential election, while Emmanuel Macron assures that he leaves it to the “responsibility” of the French.
Presentation of the day: the RN details its electoral program
Marine Le Pen, Sébastien Chenu or even… Eric Ciotti. The executives of the National Rally – and their new allies – were all present this Monday, June 24 to follow the presentation of their camp’s program by their candidate for the post of Prime Minister, Jordan Bardella.
No huge surprise during these announcements: the president of the RN especially tried to bring a little clarity to a program which appeared every day to be cut from a different measure. Jordan Bardella particularly insisted on immigration, assuring that he wanted to abolish land law, restrict family reunification, or even prohibit “the most strategic positions of the State” from being granted to binational citizens. He also assured that he wanted to “convince the President of the Republic” to hold a referendum to modify the Constitution on immigration, one of the flagship measures of the RN’s presidential program in 2022.
On school, Jordan promised “a big bang of authority at the start of the school year in September”, promising the return of the uniform, the ban on cell phones and even the imposition of formal attendance. As for pensions, the president of the RN assured that he wanted to “clarify the position” of his camp, promising the return of retirement at 60 “from the fall” for certain French people affected by “long careers”, and a “calendar progressive” which will be implemented for others by “a return to a departure at age 62 with 42 annuities”.
Beyond the various proposed measures, which L’Express has detailed here, Jordan Bardella has once again assured him: without an absolute majority in the National Assembly, he will refuse to become Prime Minister, explaining that he does not want to go “15 days” to Matignon out of “personal glory”. Enough to raise real questions about the future of the country if the RN were to come out on top in the elections with a narrow relative majority.
The response of the day: the non-LFI left does not want Mélenchon Prime Minister
It is not only the opponents of the New Popular Front who take the prospect of seeing Jean-Luc Mélenchon in Matignon very seriously. The bosses of the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party, Olivier Faure and Fabien Roussel, published the same message this Monday afternoon on (ex-Twitter), only a few seconds apart. “The Popular Front belongs to all those who refuse to abandon France to the extreme right. No one can proclaim themselves Prime Minister. The deputies of the New Popular Front, in conjunction with their parties, will choose the personality who achieves consensus to bring the country together,” they wrote. The recipient will recognize himself without too much doubt.
Marine Tondelier, the boss of the Ecologists, wanted to be even firmer with the AFP. According to her, Jean-Luc Mélenchon “is not the leader of the New Popular Front and he will not be Prime Minister.” Within the main political forces which make up the alliance, the PS, LFI, the PCF and the Ecologists, “there is an agreement to say that the Prime Minister must be found by consensus among the different political forces”, affirms Marine Tondelier , which specifies that the candidate must agree with all four parties.
The call of the day: Attal and Bardella want to see Mélenchon debate
A “debate of candidates for the post of Prime Minister”. After Gabriel Attal, Jordan Bardella also called on Jean-Luc Mélenchon to participate in the first major debate of these legislative elections, which will be held this Tuesday evening on TF1. “I invite Jean-Luc Mélenchon to participate” and “not to advance masked,” assured the president of the National Rally who will be present on stage, just like the outgoing Prime Minister, to represent their respective camps.
The New Popular Front has in fact divided up the debates which must take place between now and the second round of the legislative elections: Manuel Bompard (LFI) will be on TF1 this Tuesday, and Olivier Faure (PS) on France 2 this Thursday. Then, Marine Tondelier (Ecologists) and Fabien Roussel (PCF) will represent the left alliance on BFM TV and on CNews, for debates which should be held between the first and second rounds.
And so… no Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has multiplied his media interventions in recent days. And above all, does not close the door to a possible appointment to Matignon in the event of victory for the New Popular Front, despite the firm disapproval of several of its partners on the left. I “intend to govern this country” he said again this Saturday, recalling that “I am not eliminating myself and I am not imposing myself. I think it is a formula which is quite respectful of the collective.
“Jean-Luc Mélenchon, it is very clear, would be the Prime Minister of France if the Nupes coalition that he leads were to win the legislative elections. And I invite him to come and debate tomorrow evening”, once again assured Gabriel Attal this Monday. Proposal declined by the main interested party on The leaders of our parties represent us until then. You are an isolated individual in the position on borrowed time.” If the message to Gabriel Attal is clear, the way of appointing the potential Prime Minister within the New Popular Front is much less clear.
The (new) presidential word of the day: Macron assures not to make a “bet”
After a letter to the French, an intervention in an entrepreneurs’ podcast, “Génération Do It Yourself”. Emmanuel Macron continues to invest fully in these legislative elections, by multiplying the broadcast channels to defend his decision to dissolve the National Assembly and plunge France back into the electoral campaign. The founder of this podcast, Matthieu Stefani, promises “a historic sequence of 1h45”, in which “we covered many subjects: education, security, war, the polarization of society, women, ecology, health”.
In a first extract published this Monday afternoon, the head of state persists in particular on his choice to dissolve. “On June 9, I know what I asked of my ministers, of my majority, of deputies who have sometimes been with me for seven years, who have changed their lives to be at my side, and I thank them for that. I told them: ‘we have to go back’, it’s very hard, and I’m aware of it, and many are angry with me, but I did it, because there was nothing more. greater and more just in a democracy than trust in the people.
Before continuing: “The question is who governs. Beyond your anger – it was expressed, I heard it, and I give you the floor again – what do you want? And so, look at the projects. It won’t be anyone’s fault on the evening of the second round. It will be the responsibility of the French.