French President Emmanuel Macron’s letter to the nation has sparked controversy, as he failed to acknowledge his role in the recent snap election’s outcome. Instead, he congratulated the French people on rejecting the “extreme right,” despite the National Rally (RN) party actually winning the most votes.
Macron’s letter claimed that no political force obtained a sufficient majority, and he would not appoint a new Prime Minister until the new political forces had “some time.” He also stated that he would ensure the invention of a new French political culture, but did not provide any details on how he would achieve this.
The French people, however, are not satisfied with the state of affairs. According to a new poll, 65% of French people believe that Macron’s decision to call early elections was a bad idea, and 70% are unhappy with the indecisive results of the election. The poll also found that over half of French people consider the political stitch-ups contracted in the second round of the election to be scheming and “unnatural.”
Radical left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon rejected Macron’s letter, calling it a denial of democracy. He accused Macron of attempting to wield a “royal veto” over the voters and demanded that he “bow down and call the New Popular Front.” On the other hand, President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher took the opposite view, reminding the public of the left’s low vote share despite their strong turnout of new members of Parliament.
Macron’s letter has been met with skepticism, and many are questioning his motives. The French people are demanding a new government, and it remains to be seen how Macron will respond to their demands.
