Macron’s early election sparks renewed criticism of his arrogance | Wilnesh News

French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call an early election after the far-right National Rally party won more than double the votes of his centrist coalition has caused surprise, dismay and confusion.

It also resurfaces long-standing criticism of Macron, especially from political commentators and opponents, who see the president as arrogant, ego-driven and, perhaps more worryingly, what they see as a leader willing to Putting France’s stability at risk.

Macron said that holding early elections will provide a clear message after the European Parliament elections, in which the Democratic Party Won about 31% of the votemore than double the 14.6% of the centrist pro-European coalition that includes Macron’s Ennahda party.

Macron announced his decision to dissolve parliament in a speech to the nation on Sunday night, telling voters that he “heard” their concerns and “will not let them go unanswered… France needs an absolute majority to be able to negotiate with calm and peace” Act in a harmonious manner.” he added. The first round of voting will be held on June 30 and the second round on July 7.

Analysts said Macron’s decision was likely a tactical gamble, with the president hoping that: 1) a crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections was the result of a protest vote rather than a deeper dissatisfaction with his leadership; 2) a far-right seizure The prospect of power mobilized centrist voters to vote for their party in order to prevent the National Revolutionary Party from gaining an outright majority in the National Assembly (the lower house of parliament).

He is also believed to hope that, even if the Nationalist Party performs well, he must appoint a party member as prime minister (Nationalist leader Jordan Bardella may be a candidate for such an eventuality, known in France as “cohabitation”) ”), when the party plays a prominent role in French politics, it will fail to impress voters and will fail in the 2027 presidential election.

However, some of Macron’s critics and political commentators were not impressed with his decision and strategy, which some said made him look arrogant – Critics’ accusations against him The first few years – like a man willing to roll the dice on the future of his country.

The left-wing newspaper Liberation described the snap election as an “extreme gamble”, while the center-right Le Figaro ran a terse headline on Monday: “Shock” (“Shock”). Alexis Brézet, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, went on to publish an editorial, saying “earthquakes were expected, aftershocks seem unthinkable.”

Breezet warned that Macron “is risking entrusting power to the party whose progress he promised to block! This unprecedented decision is a leap into the unknown for the country, with consequences that are incalculable.” “. He suggested that Macron decided to call a snap election because he was personally humiliated by the EU election results, calling the result “Macron decided to go all out!”

Jerome Fenoglio, editorial director of the popular Le Monde newspaper, also criticized the move. Describing French citizens as “betters” in a “desperate president’s risky gamble”.

“The problem above all is that the player (Macron) has lost his lead. This happened long before the humiliating European election results, with Macron’s Ennahda party receiving fewer votes than the far-right National Rally. half.

He described the Elysee Palace’s “initial explanations… justifying the dissolution as a mixture of bravado and self-persuasion”. Meanwhile, other commentators and newspapers, such as Les Echos, Describing Macron’s move as a poker game.

CNBC has reached out to the Elysée Palace for comment and is awaiting a response.

In 2017, Macron wore an expensive suit and was criticized for describing Opponents of his labor reforms dubbed ‘slackers’ (which became a rallying cry for protesters) and was seen as being out of touch with voters’ concerns about immigration, housing and the cost of living. He is often accused of being a defender of the rich and a “president of the rich,” a charge that fueled the “yellow vest” protests in 2018 and 2019. Someone who has a way of talking directly to voters.

Whether deserved or not, Macron’s reputation as arrogant has always been hard to shake. Robert Ladrech, emeritus professor of European politics at Keele University, told CNBC on Monday that Macron’s latest election call “could be seen as arrogant for two reasons – (personal) and institutional” .

“First, he interpreted the European Parliament vote as a personal affront and a rejection of the direction of his domestic policy. His immigration policy has been “hardline” of late, and he mentioned last year that the EU climate could be “paused” if the vote was indeed was a referendum on him, then neither endorsement appears to have had any impact on registered nurse voters,” he noted.

“Secondly, a French president dissolved parliament in 1997 just a few years after authorizing (former) President Chirac to do so and held new elections in the hope of expanding his majority. He screwed up and was Forced to “live together” So either way, it’s a gamble for Macron – if he thinks he can “win,” that’s arrogance, if he thinks a Republican victory might stop it from moving forward, then That’s arrogance.

Macron’s political opponents are unimpressed – except, of course, the National Party itself, which has been boosted by its dominance in parliamentary elections and welcomes the chance to increase its vote share. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was “shocked” by Macron’s decision.

“Like many people, I was shocked to hear that the president had decided to dissolve (parliament),” she said of Macron’s surprise announcement on Sunday. Calling the decision just weeks before the Paris Olympics “extremely disturbing”.