The reopening of Notre Dame, five years after it was destroyed by fire, was supposed to be a victory for Macron.
The French president has often used the reconstruction of Notre Dame as a metaphor for his own destiny, and reiterated that he was ridiculed when he pledged in 2019 to rebuild Notre Dame within five years, but that he got the job done despite skepticism.
He did it again in a televised speech on Thursday, telling the nation that Notre Dame’s reopening “proves that we can do great things, we can do impossible things,” adding: “We have to do the same for our country. things.
On December 6, 2024, in Paris, France, a tourist visited Notre Dame Cathedral on the eve of its reopening to the public.
Chesnot | Getty Images
But when Macron welcomes more than 35 world leaders to this painstakingly restored masterpiece of Gothic architecture on Saturday, he will stand amid the ruins of France’s political landscape, and rebuilding what was destroyed won’t be easy.
In the cathedral’s front row, standing alongside global leaders such as US President-elect Donald Trump, were members of his failed caretaker government, which was ousted this week by a makeshift coalition of far-right and left-wing lawmakers.
That leaves France, the EU’s only nuclear power, leaderless, while Russia is on the offensive in its war with Ukraine and Europe struggles to make its voice heard in the U.S.-China competition.
“Political instability in France is a problem, especially its influence in Europe,” said Georgina Wright, an analyst at the Institut Montaigne think tank. She added that European partners had contributed to France’s supply of equipment to Ukraine. Feel worried. “Sign-off on defense spending by the government.”
French President Emmanuel Macron appears on the screen after Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government was overthrown in a vote of no confidence in parliament on December 5, 2024 in Paris, France , delivering a televised address to the nation.
Christian Hartmann | Reuters
While Macron harshly criticized the “cynicism” of far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen and her team over their decision to pull the trigger on the government and leave France without a budget next year, critics say he has only himself to blame.
An unruly parliament decided on Wednesday to overthrow Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s minority government, a fallout from Macron’s shock decision to call snap elections this summer, a move that should have Political opponents were caught off guard, but the consequences were profoundly counterproductive.
Not only has Macron lost his working majority, but for the first time since her father founded the National Front (now renamed the National Rally), he has given his main rival, Le Pen, the power to influence the course of events.
MP Pierre-Alexandre Anglade, a member of Macron’s party, admitted that “no country is immune to the threat of populism”.
“Support is rising everywhere. Trump is back, the UK voted to leave the EU and the far right in Germany scored staggeringly in some areas,” he told Reuters.
Worst period for diplomacy
Not only will the absence of a functioning government by his side during this weekend’s celebrations lead to awkward photo opportunities, it means Macron will be severely restricted in the inevitable diplomatic discussions on the sidelines.
Diplomatic sources said Macron is expected to meet with Trump and possibly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been invited but has not yet confirmed whether he will attend. But without next year’s budget, he can’t make any promises to either leader.
On February 16, 2024, French President Macron and Ukrainian President Zelensky shook hands after signing the agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France.
Thibault Camus | Reuters
Ahead of Wednesday’s no-confidence vote, French Defense Minister Sebastien Le Cornou warned that a planned 3.3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) increase in France’s military spending would not be realized due to a lack of budget.
With Trump loudly calling on Europe to shoulder more of the costs of the Ukraine war and Zelensky urging greater efforts to prevent national collapse, the core flaws in Macron’s government couldn’t have emerged at the worst possible time.
The French president said in an address to the nation on Thursday that he would name a new prime minister “in the coming days.” He told Reuters he wanted to act quickly, unlike in the summer when he waited two months before appointing Barnier.
There is no clear path to a more stable government, however, and any new prime minister will have to deal with at least as many unresolved parliaments until July, the earliest time the constitution allows for new elections.
In the corridors of parliament, Macron’s allies want to believe that their leader will ignore the skeptics and find a way to rebuild the country’s standing 30 months into his term, just as he did for Notre Dame. That way.
“This shows that we are capable of rebuilding,” Prisca Trevenot, a spokesperson for Macron’s former government, told Reuters. “We really have no choice,” she said.
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