French Politics/Elections and the pro-russian National Front

Marine Le Pen won't do jack against US interests

Her party will rally with Trump when he is elected, that's about it

That's right, the west has a hate complex against Russia for the last 1000 years and this is not going to change.   The only value from
the "far right" in U-rope is some moderate level of real-politique where there can be an accommodation with Russia if not friendship.   The
current crop of decider stooges thinks it can destroy Russia by snapping its fingers.

Even the French Communist Party is a neo-liberal project.

kvs wrote:That's right, the west is has a hate complex against Russia for the last 1000 years and this is not going to change.   The only value from
the "far right" in U-rope is some moderate level of real-politique where there can be an accommodation with Russia if not friendship.   The
current crop of decider stooges thinks it can destroy Russia by snapping its fingers.

They snapped their fingers like Thanos but the only thing that disappeared is half of their economy, embarrassing!

As far as "pro-Russian" groups in Europe go, they don't really exist. Hopefully most Russians understand by now that no matter who rules over them, Europeans as a collective will always hate, fear and envy Russia (while seeking to mercilessly exploit her for their own gains). Don't get caught up in their petty politics.

Broski wrote:They snapped their fingers like Thanos but the only thing that disappeared is half of their economy, embarrassing!

As far as "pro-Russian" groups in Europe go, they don't really exist. Hopefully most Russians understand by now that no matter who rules over them, Europeans as a collective will always hate, fear and envy Russia (while seeking to mercilessly exploit her for their own gains). Don't get caught up in their petty politics.

The pro-Russian parties in Europe, are the same as those parties that advocate ties with the rest of the world too; namely the far-left and anti-war parties. And only them. They're not big but they do exist.

The pro-Russian parties in Europe, are the same as those parties that advocate ties with the rest of the world too; namely the far-left and anti-war parties. And only them. They're not big but they do exist.

The only people I have seen talking against war are two Irish MEPs and a few oddballs like Farage, and they are very careful to point out that they are for peace and do not in any way support Putin because obviously Putin is a monster... blah blah blah.

Sadly the days of a polite and accepting hand over of power are long gone. The rewards of power are now so great that civic pride has been swept aside. Now no stone is left unturned to hold on.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the "National Rally" faction, accused President Macron of preparing an "administrative coup."

"When I learned that four days before the second round of elections, the president is preparing to appoint a new head of the National Police tomorrow, even though he was supposed to stay until the end of the Olympic Games, as well as the director of the National Gendarmerie and replace dozens of prefects with the aim of preventing Jordan Bardella from governing the country, I considered this a form of administrative coup," she said on the air of France Inter radio.

- ukraine_watch

I am sure you are old enough to remember politics in the olden days... the mavericks and crazy guys were very sober and respectful compared with politicians today.

The conversations were impersonal and ideas and stances were attacked rather than people.

There was respect and there was no demand for everyone to think the way you did or else you are the enemy.

Cooperation was possible and often used to get important things done that helped fix things and make things better.

Now it is my way or no way.

How ‘Putin endorsed Le Pen’: Russiagate comes to France, by Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory, 07.07.2024.

If you thought the Western establishment was done shifting blame for its own fiascos, think again.

It is perfectly predictable and yet a sorry spectacle every time it happens: the great big bad Russia panic whenever, and that’s frequently nowadays, Western liberals and Centrists are losing their grip.

This time it’s the turn of France. With the far-right/right-populist National Rally (RN) under Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella succeeding at the polls as never before, French and other Western mainstream media are serving up the same stale old dish of fearmongering and, most importantly, blame shifting.

Russiagate, or really Russia Rage (as in Road Rage), and its many copies, have been with us since Hillary Clinton and her cult were incapable of facing the fact that she lost the 2016 US presidential election because she is a dreadful person with no redeeming graces – and unlike her naturally gifted if shifty and immoral husband, a catastrophically incompetent politician. And like every good form of insanity, Russia Rage is absolutely immune to both falsification and its own record of failure, even as a piece of demagoguery. We know that the only real scandal about “Russiagate” was that it was a hoax, the result of massive exaggeration, outright lying, and all-round manipulation by Democratic party operatives and their media allies. We also know that it did not even work on its own dishonest terms.

Russia Rage was, in American journalist Matt Taibbi’s words, an “epic disaster.” Indeed, if it had any political effect, then to ultimately help – not damage – its target, Donald Trump: Almost a decade after the inception of the “Russiagate” hoax, Trump is back, stronger than ever and set to capture the American presidency again. And this time, his organization and plans are much more elaborate and ambitious, and, just now, obliging conservative judges at the Supreme Court have also equipped him with almost perfect legal immunity.

The other thing that Russia Rage did accomplish is, of course, to massively damage the credibility of US mainstream media. Not that they ever deserved any (ask the Iraqis, for instance, owners of non-existent WMDs and victims of an absolutely illegal and devastating war of aggression based on a big fat lie eagerly supported by those media). But Russia Rage brought the lying home in a way that woke up many Americans. By 2022, US media credibility was the lowest “among 46 nations, according to a study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.” One year before, “83 percent of Americans saw ‘fake news’ as a ‘problem,’ and 56 percent – mostly Republicans and independents – agreed that the media were “truly the enemy of the American people.”

And yet, here we go again. In best Russia Rage style, the Washington Post, relying unquestioningly on French intelligence services and, of course, anonymous “sources,” is mapping out a whole “ecosystem” of Russian influence campaigns targeting, it maintains, the French election as well as the Olympics. And not only now but for about a year already. One wonders how those wicked Russians foresaw Macron’s bizarre decision to cap his EU Parliament election failure with a snap legislative election at home to make the fiasco complete. Or, perhaps, must we now assume that Macron is working for Russia as well? Who knows?

The French paper of record Le Monde has been keeping up a steady, ominous drumbeat for months already, keeping its readers on edge with tales of Russian subversion and, always, of course, the National Rally as its tool. Perish the thought that this could have anything to do with the RN being the most popular and most dangerous challenger to the Macronist regime of extreme Centrism.

Last June already, Le Monde, in essence, copied a report produced, literally, by a deputy from Macron’s party to go after the National Rally with allegations of being in cahoots with Moscow. At the same time, another piece sounded the alarm about poor France lacking preparedness for an “information war” and, again, fingered the RN, obviously. This February, the newspaper faithfully channeled the French DGST security and intelligence service, warning that – yes, you are guessed it right – the Russians were up to no good, seeking to “destabilize the European elections.” Well, in retrospect, the elections went just fine – no riots, no cheating, no “instability” – and a perfectly solid defeat for Macron.

By now, with Macron’s silly early-election gamble is in a shambles, whatever the outcome of the second round on 7 July, Le Monde has reached a crescendo of Russia Rage with an article announcing that “the Russia of Putin has endorsed the National Rally.”  What really happened is that a post (not linked in the Le Monde article, and probably too “dangerous” to look at for its readers) on the X account of Russia’s Foreign Ministry showed a picture of a celebrating Marine Le Pen. And, to make that dreadful weapon of mass influence complete, there was a text as well, saying that France was seeing growing demand “for a sovereign foreign policy,” reflecting the country’s “national interests” and also for an end to “the diktat of the USA and the EU.” The French authorities, the post continued, “will not be able to ignore fundamental shifts in the attitudes of the preponderant majority of citizens.”

Quibble if you wish, but personally I would not speak of “diktat” because EU elites love to submit voluntarily, in exchange for power, a career, and a sumptuous lifestyle. It’s not a diktat, it’s a sale. And that majority among the French may not be quite “preponderant” yet. But otherwise, frankly, where’s the lie? Of course, for stalwarts of the Macronist status quo, juxtaposing the message with a picture of Le Pen is a red rag.

And let’s be fair, the picture is a message – but a very mild one. A subtle hint indeed, compared to the West’s habit, entirely taken for granted, of openly calling for “regime change” in Russia and welcoming even violence, assassinations, and terrorism in its pursuit. What the Russian Foreign Ministry has dared to signal is what everyone already knows: that the National Rally stands for a different foreign policy, one of seeking dialogue and compromise with Moscow. That is a perfectly legitimate position that French voters have a right to prefer without being smeared as traitors; and it is also perfectly legitimate for Russia to publicly recognize that fact.

In short, Russia Rage is one of the few things that do not sound better in French. It’s still the same tired, lame, offensively silly procedure. It’s also very sad, almost tragic. Let’s assume – for the sake of argument – that all the allegations made in various Russia Rage stories and narratives were true, every single one. They are not, but let’s assume. See what happens? Nothing. Even if Russia were behind all of those “influence operations,” they simply would not matter. Or, at the very least, their so-called “influence” would be negligible. Because in politics, everything is relative. And by comparison with the abysmal failures of Western elites across all policy domains, from the economy to foreign policy, to security, none of what big bad Russia is alleged to have done remotely amounts to a game changer. The true influence operation that is bringing down Western status quo elites is their own failure. And in the EU, especially their failure to finally emancipate their countries from declining, unpredictable, and highly damaging overlords in Washington. Rage at that, for a change.

https://www.rt.com/news/600581-france-election-russia-blame/

What sham "democratic societies" make up the NATzO west. All it takes is to accuse someone and that is "proof" of guilt. This sort of nonsense is a litmus test for the true
state of these societies. If anyone making a valid point can be demonized and cancelled, then there is no freedom and proper information space by definition. These societies
are closer to dystopian fiction than they are to the just democracies they claim to be. The term "pluralism" is a total joke in the context of NATzO. There can be a billion parties
all supposedly opposing each other, but in the final analysis they are like sock puppets of the same clowns running the show with the same agenda. You can see these sock puppets
being deployed in Hungary and elsewhere to try to stop the rare event of a leader making it into power who is not a sock puppet. I have my doubts that Le Pen will be allowed to
get real power in France. There will be some coalition deployed to stop her.

In another post, I bemoaned the lack of proper coalition formation ability in a first past the post system. This is a situation where such a system could act to frustrate coalitions of
the billing but the whole situation is a corrupt freak show to start with.

French prime minister to submit resignation, 07.07.2024.

Gabriel Attal stressed that now the fate of France will be played "more than ever in the Parliament."

After the second round of legislative elections in France, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that he will submit his resignation tomorrow to President Emmanuel Macron, but assured that he will continue "performing his functions as long as duty demands it."

Attal pointed out that he "did not choose" the dissolution of the National Assembly by which elections were called, so he "refuses to submit to it." Likewise, the outgoing head of government considered that "tonight, no absolute majority can be led by the extremes [...] therefore, in accordance with the Republican tradition and in accordance with my principles, I will submit my resignation tomorrow morning".

Attal's decision came despite the Elysee Palace's announcement that Macron would wait for the new National Assembly to be "structured" before "taking the necessary decisions." The prime minister insisted that, ahead of the Olympic Games that will be held in a few weeks in Paris, he will continue "exercising his functions as long as duty demands it."

"I know that, in the light of tonight's results, many French people feel some uncertainty about the future, as there is no absolute majority. Our country is experiencing an unprecedented political situation and is preparing to welcome the whole world in a few weeks," Attal continued, stressing that now France's fate will be played "more than ever in Parliament."

Likewise, from the steps of the Matignon, Attal congratulated the 577 newly elected deputies, assuring that all of them "represent the nation," and added that the Renaissance party, to which he belongs, obtained "three times more deputies than the estimates given at the beginning of this campaign."

Yandex Translate from Spanish.

https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/515276-primer-ministro-francia-presentara-dimision

France is finished, by Elena Karaeva for RiaNovosti. 07.07.2024.

In the Parisian corridors of the deep state, which lives on the money of the globalist oligarchy, they know how to intrigue and destroy political opponents. This no longer requires arranging lavish weddings and slaughtering the Huguenots who came to them, as happened on St. Bartholomew's Day massacre half a millennium ago, but they still have the skills to eliminate the slightest threat in the form of a change of power.

The second round of the snap parliamentary elections showed this in all its glory and volume. Knives, swords and daggers are no longer required. The Royal, sorry, Elysee Palace only needed to come to an agreement, albeit with the so-called opponents of Macron . Since reaching an agreement with the "National Rally", the political movement that led in the first round, was excluded, pro-government structures and the political strategists authorized by them colluded with the leftists. Of course, no one will ever call this political bargaining. In the glossary of the French establishment, this is called "leaving the race".

A little clarification is needed here.

Parliamentary elections are not regulated by the Constitution, but by electoral laws. Their main feature is that three candidates advance to the second round if they receive more than 12.5 percent of the votes. Of the 577 electoral districts, as a result of the undisputed leadership of candidates from the right-wing National Rally, in more than half of them, representatives of systemic parties came in second and third. To one degree or another, they wanted to enter into negotiations with the authorities. Which is what they did in a week. Voting, that is, when voters come to the ballot boxes and cast ballots, no longer had any meaning in such a configuration. Everything was decided between Macron, Attal and the alliance of left-wing forces that joined them. This entire company did not need the expression of the people's will, but the preservation of the existing system of oligarchic power in France.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon , whom Emmanuel Macron called practically "a plague, the main threat to democracy" in mid-June, and the political association "Unbowed France" was considered a den of anti-Semitism, populism and extremism, entered into separate negotiations with those whose policies and reforms he had been carrying over all the bumps and tumbles for the previous seven years.

The Socialists did exactly the same thing. And those pitiful remnants of the Republican party (former Gaullists) who wanted to sell themselves before the end of the date of consumption of the Macronists as political food.

When it comes to maintaining power not only in the next three years of Macron’s mandate, but also about the future succession to the throne (Attal, who is resigning and only temporarily, perhaps, leaving the game, looks like the most suitable candidate for the next presidential elections by all parameters), absolutely all means are good and any promises go to the cash register.

No, these are not "Xerox boxes", they work more subtly there. If the previous group of elites remains in power, they will have the budget and colossal administrative resources in their hands. From there, new pleasant appointments will come for those who betrayed the interests of their own voters, and there will also be an opportunity to place activists in various cushy positions in the private sector of the economy with no less impressive benefits.

There is no doubt that Macron has mobilized all the resources at his disposal. He has called up the guard that brought him to power seven years ago and laid out the stakes of this game. Those who hold the economic levers of France understood perfectly well that Jordan Bardella, if the French were given the opportunity to speak out, would have become prime minister. And the gentlemen who stand behind the master of the Elysee Palace at all times would have big problems.

There is also no doubt that the “Brussels people” were also aware of the collusion between the head of the country and his “political opponents” that was taking place before the eyes of the French.

All the words about “republican ideals,” about loyalty to the values ​​of “egalité and fraternite” are just the lines of puppets who are pulled by strings at the right moment.

The press, despite the official ban on campaigning, continued to publish the corresponding editorials on the eve of the election day. It was ordered to demonize the "National Union" as much as possible, which it obediently did.

The last word that can be used to describe what happened on Sunday in France is "elections". Because elections presuppose the freedom to vote as you think is necessary and right.

The French, who have long ago sold their "liberté" for a cup of coffee and a croissant, have received as a result an intriguing president who despises his own people, a half-dead parliament, the maintenance of which on a ventilator will be paid for out of their own pockets, and further impoverishment. Well, and an increasingly close military confrontation with us, since, of course, the militaristic support of Kiev will continue.

In short, the French received the power they deserved.

As for the fate of France itself, with such politicians and those who elected them, it is practically predetermined. A chronicle of the murder of a country, which everyone knew about in advance, but no one wanted to prevent this murder or even hinder it.

https://ria.ru/20240707/frantsiya-1958102789.html

Don't want to hear all the cries about foul play and unfair electoral system anymore than in the British case.

All the French have to do is stop voting for establishment parties. Whether it's one or whether it's another.

But as it is they haven't taken Macron's warmongering seriously enough - which is the greatest threat to France's economy and France's security that there is - and instead, have given him a renewed mandate to proceed as he sees fit. Nice work.
We here in Russia are ready regardless. Don't count on us bowing out, Parisians et al.

Le Pen was deprived of victory in an unnatural way, by Valeria Verbinina for VZGLYAD. 07.08.2024.
The head of the left-wing coalition "New Popular Front" Jean-Luc Mélenchon claims that he won the recent elections in France. Formally, this is indeed true, but in reality everything is much more complicated. "Nobody can claim that he won these elections, especially Mr. Mélenchon," they answer. How to understand this?

The miracle did not happen. To obtain an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardell needed to get 289 deputies elected. However, the alliance of left-wing parties, the so-called New Popular Front, mobilized its potential voters from among those who usually do not go to the polls and – most importantly – entered into an active conspiracy with Macron’s ruling party so as not to interfere with each other at the polling stations.

The goal was to prevent the National Rally from coming to power at any cost, and thanks to this tactical maneuver, it was achieved. “If there had not been this unnatural agreement between Macron and the far left, the National Rally would have received an absolute majority,” Marine Le Pen stated unequivocally.

Sunday evening was nonetheless a busy one. Most polling stations in France close at 6pm local time, but in some major cities they remain open until 8pm.

According to estimates by the Ipsos Institute and the Talan Group, which were released around eight in the evening, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front should win the elections and receive between 172 and 192 seats, the presidential party Together – between 150 and 170 seats, and National Rally – between 132 and 152 seats. The Republican Party (which experienced a split due to the fact that part of it decided to form an alliance with National Rally) should get between 57 and 67 seats. A small number of seats will be received by representatives of regional currents and those leftists who did not join the New Popular Front.

The final results were released on the night of July 8. The New Popular Front ended up with 182 seats in the National Assembly. Second place went to Emmanuel Macron's Together coalition (168 seats), and the National Rally bloc led by Marine Le Pen came in third (143 seats).

As Jean-Luc Mélenchon stated , "our people certainly did not wish for a worse outcome. This evening, the National Rally is far from obtaining an absolute majority." "The people have made a different choice," Mélenchon added, calling on the president to respect his will, in particular to appoint a prime minister from the ranks of the New Popular Front. "The prime minister (Attal) must go.

The president must call on the New Popular Front to exercise power, and it is ready to do so,” Mélenchon added.

As for the National Rally, its result compared to the 2022 elections is by no means bad. The party is gaining more and more popularity, but there is no point in talking about comparative progress when many were hoping for an absolute majority in parliament and the post of prime minister for Bardell.

Yes, happiness was possible – but it would be naive to believe that political rivals would allow themselves to be pushed out of power. Especially in France, where the split between the right and the left is irreconcilable, and any agreement between them is impossible in principle.

As Bardella himself noted, “the conspiracies… throw France into the arms of Mélenchon,” but nevertheless assured his supporters that “I will remain with you and for you until victory is won.”

In effect, France is getting an interim parliament in which no party has an absolute majority. Traditionally, the president must choose a prime minister from the ranks of the winning party. But the problem is that the New Popular Front, as beautiful as its name may sound, is a conglomerate of left-wing parties that usually compete for the same voters and do not get along very well with each other.

It is already being written openly that Jean-Luc Mélenchon would not mind becoming prime minister – but the communists, socialists and “greens” are so against his candidacy that they are ready to agree to the prime minister being elected by a vote of all future deputies. For his part, former foreign minister and Macronist Stéphane Séjourné literally stated the following: “It is obvious that Jean-Luc Mélenchon and a number of his supporters cannot govern France.”

On the part of the Macronists, there is a clear desire to use the left against the party of Le Pen and Bardell, to give nothing to these leftists and generally to pretend that they are nothing. Indeed, if the leftists get the prime minister's post and ministerial portfolios, then what will the Macronists get? They themselves need power more - and they do not even hide their unwillingness to give in, despite the fact that the presidential party suffered a defeat.

In response, Mélenchon addressed his supporters at the Place de la République and said Macron must "either step down or appoint a prime minister from our ranks." MP Clémentine Oaten called on left-wing MPs to meet on Monday and propose a candidate for prime minister.

The nominally still-serving Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that he will resign on Monday. In essence, he has no other choice. Meanwhile, looking at the composition of the future National Assembly, people are beginning to ask themselves: what will its work be like?

Thus, the Socialist Mayor of Marseille, Benoît Peillan, having expressed his joy that the National Rally had failed to achieve its goals, made it clear that it would be difficult for the left to govern the country with such a composition of the parliamentary corps. "Yes, we won, but we do not have and will not have an absolute majority to govern the country the way we want."

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin made a very curious statement: “No one can claim that he won these elections, especially Mr. Mélenchon.”

Darmanin himself was re-elected as a member of parliament without much difficulty, as were former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and former President François Hollande. There were also losses: for example, Marine Le Pen's sister Marie-Caroline was not re-elected, having lost a few fractions of a percent, as was the vice-president of the National Assembly, the socialist Valérie Rabaud.

One way or another, these elections have once again demonstrated the power of the principle of "divide and rule", as well as the aggravation of the general systemic crisis in France and the lack of consensus in society. As for the National Assembly, it will, of course, gather and try to work, but it will turn out exactly like the fable about the swan, the crayfish and the pike, which was composed by the Frenchman La Fontaine before Krylov.

https://vz.ru/world/2024/7/8/1276627.html

Weaselly Moron strikes again... the Europeans are saps... they get fisted by Macron and May and Johnson and say... can we have some more please...

To be honest the longer Morons stay in power... and Bidens of course and Sgt Shultzs' the more screwed up the west will remain as the rest of the world moves forward and up.

Over Half of French See Pre-Vote Candidate Withdrawals as Fraud - Poll, 07.10.2024.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A majority of the French have described pacts made by the centrists and the left pre-election to stop the right-wing National Rally from sweeping into power as fraud, an Elabe poll out Wednesday showed.

President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble coalition and the New Popular Front said ahead of last Sunday's runoff they would put up a united front against Marine Le Pen's National Rally after it pulled far ahead of its rivals in the first round of voting. They withdrew hundreds of candidate to put strongest ones forward, allowing the left to come first in the second round.

The survey conducted by Elabe among 1,002 voters from July 9-10 found that 52% of those polled saw efforts to create advantage for their candidates as "fraud" and "unnatural political alliances." A further 45% called this behaviour normal.

The poll also found that 71% of respondents were dissatisfied with the hung parliament produced by the inconclusive vote. Of them, 32% said they were "extremely dissatisfied" with the newly formed parliament, while 29% said they were satisfied.

Six in 10 respondents said it was a bad idea to dissolve the parliament, compared to 34% who welcomed Macron's decision. On June 15, 58% called the snap election the right move, versus 41% who thought otherwise.

Some 38% of those sampled said they wanted Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister in the new government, 35% said they would support National Rally leader Jordan Bardell, while 31% opted for center-left Place Publique's Raphael Glucksmann.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240710/over-half-of-french-see-pre-vote-candidate-withdrawals-as-fraud---poll-1119331555.html

The trick is called 'cordon sanitaire' in French (sanitary rope freed of germs & dirt).

The French version of first past the post.  Same shit.

lancelot wrote:It isn't the first time they have done this however. The French political parties have already done this several times to spoil Le Pen. In fact that is how Macron got into power in the first place. Votes were transferred from other political parties to his.

Then the French have all the less excuse for falling for it again

52% call fraud. Did all those 52% vote for Le Pen? If not then what are they complaining about?

How stupid is Macron. Doesnt he realize that he is finished politically?

George1 wrote:How stupid is Macron. Doesnt he realize that he is finished politically?

Or what, the Trade Unions will boycott the Olympics?

Boo-hoo. Micron's in charge here

Macron created a political crisis in France out of thin air, by Valeria Verbinina for VZGLYAD. 07.26.2024.

The real results of the recent elections to the National Assembly in France are beginning to become clear. It would seem that French President Emmanuel Macron has won a decisive victory, having installed his people in key positions in the state parliament. However, the real fight is unfolding over the candidacy of the future prime minister: Macron has provoked a situation that was previously simply unthinkable for France.

French President Emmanuel Macron is reaping the fruits of his miscalculation. After his party suffered a rout in the European Parliament elections, the president announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, in which his party had a fairly strong position. It is hard to believe that such an experienced politician would take such an important step without weighing all the consequences. Of course, Macron had his own calculations – and experience, which in this case let him down.

The calculation was that the ruling party would mobilize all its propaganda forces, paint its main competitors (the National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardell) in a black light, frighten voters with the gloomy prospects of rule by these enemies of freedom, democracy and the human race in general – and thus win. Despite the apparent primitiveness of this strategy, Macron has already won more than once in the past thanks to it.

However, reality can destroy calculations much more subtle than the one Macron decided to rely on out of habit. In this case, his initiative was seized by a coalition of left-wing forces, which under normal conditions compete for roughly the same strata of voters and squabble among themselves over the slightest provocation. Here, however, representatives of the left saw an opportunity to take revenge. They organized an association with the loud name of the "New Popular Front", launched an active campaign and sensationally achieved victory, taking first place in the National Assembly. Yes, they do not have an absolute majority, but now they are a real force to be reckoned with.

As a result, Macron suffered a political defeat, significantly worsened the position of his party in the National Assembly (the loss is 73 seats), lost the trust of colleagues who blame him for the failure, and is forced to work with a new composition of deputies. The law prohibits dissolving the National Assembly for the second time in a row; at least a year must pass, but dissolving parliament every year is fraught with danger, especially since the fact of dissolution in itself has been an extremely rare event for France until now.

But Macron is a famous political tightrope walker. Even the fact that the National Assembly is made up of members hostile to him did not prevent him from getting his protégée Yaël Braun-Pivet reappointed as head of parliament.

The whole point is that the left-wing bloc is not monolithic at all. Using the differences between them, as well as the fundamental differences between right-wing and left-wing deputies, Macron – not without difficulty, of course – achieved her approval. The very fact that Macron has already achieved the appointment of his man to such an important post speaks volumes. Also, through complex political maneuvers, he ensured that the National Rally did not receive a single parliamentary committee or a single post of vice-president of the assembly.

However, the main battles have unfolded around the candidacy of the Prime Minister of France, who must represent the coalition of the winners, that is, the left. This is an extremely important figure, who presents laws for approval, including the draft budget. And unlike the obedient minion Gabriel Attal or his predecessor Elisabeth Borne, who were ready to implement the policies of President Macron, the Prime Minister will take into account the interests of his party.

This creates a situation that was previously unthinkable for France: sharp contradictions arise between the prime minister and the president of the country.

It is no exaggeration to say that Macron has painted himself into a corner, and it is unlikely that he is unaware of it. Usually talkative, Macron gave his first interview since his defeat only on July 23.

"It seems clear," Macron said , "that until mid-August we must concentrate on the (Olympic) Games. And then, as the discussions progress, it will be my responsibility to appoint a prime minister and entrust him with the task of forming a government."

Of course, it is very convenient to refer to the Olympic Games, but the problem is that the New Popular Front, after long debates, has already put forward its candidate for the post of prime minister for approval. Meet Lucy Castet, 37, an expert in combating money laundering and tax evasion.

"The role of the President of the Republic," said MP Alexis Corbière, "is to accept this candidate and appoint her as prime minister, while any other attitude would be an 'anti-democratic maneuver.'"

In response, Macron waved away the candidate as if he were a fly, reminded that no party had achieved an absolute majority in parliament, and called for a “compromise.” And when Macron calls for a compromise, it means that the others must agree to what he proposes. He also said that until a new government is elected, members of the previous government will continue to hold their posts because “they are the ones who made these (Olympic) Games possible.”

He also made it clear that he would serve out his term, no matter how much some wanted him to resign, and he openly threatened to dissolve the National Assembly again if it refused to accommodate him.

Thus, a fundamentally new plot is being set in the political history of France – a confrontation between the president and the National Assembly is looming. The key issue is the economy: the left does not hide that they are going to cancel Macron’s pension reform, increase benefits and raise taxes on the rich. And the right has already managed to remind candidate Lucie Castet that she was an adviser to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on the budget and that under her the Paris deficit doubled.

At the same time, Macron is demanding the creation of a coalition government, and Lucie Castet has already publicly stated that a coalition between the presidential party and the left is impossible.

"There can be no coalition between people who believe in spending more on public services and those who believe in cutting them. There can be no agreement between those who want everyone to pay their fair share of taxes and those who want to ease the tax burden on the richest," she declared .

If the confrontation between the president and parliament does not end with some kind of agreement, a full-scale political crisis cannot be ruled out. Yes, Macron can dissolve this National Assembly in a year, but there are no guarantees that the deputies who replace the current ones will represent the majority he needs.

The National Assembly, in turn, can make life very difficult for the president. Given his habit of constantly playing for the aggravation, one day this could end badly for Macron. Since 2014, French law has stipulated the possibility of impeaching the president, although they have not yet had the opportunity to use it.

https://vz.ru/world/2024/7/26/1279007.html

Far-right, far-left, centre-right, centre-left, what is this? A training coach-built strategy for a sports tournament? In fact, Macron, with his outright liberal politics is well positioned at the far-right spectrum of French politics, whereas the Rassemblement movement is centre-right:

How to remove Macron early, by Valeria Verbinina for VZGLYAD. 08.19.2024.

Macron given ultimatum under threat of impeachment.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been given an ultimatum: either he appoints a little-known woman from Paris City Hall as prime minister, or the winners of the parliamentary elections will force his resignation through impeachment proceedings. How dangerous is this scenario for Macron? And is it possible to remove the French president from power at all?

The standoff between the president and the left-wing coalition that won the French National Assembly elections has reached a new level. Sunday's edition of La Tribune published an ultimatum to Emmanuel Macron.

Either he will accept the fact that he will have to appoint a prime minister from the left, and will accept the candidacy of Lucie Castets, the 37-year-old director of finance and procurement in the office of the mayor of Paris. Or, in accordance with Article 68 of the state constitution, the parliamentary majority party will demand his impeachment.

Macron, get out!

"If he does not approve Lucie Castets, all constitutional means will be used to remove him from office, and we will not accept that he disregards the basic rule of democracy. In France, the only master of the situation is the voice of the people," wrote Jean-Luc Mélenchon in a typically French, flowery style.

As the head of “France Unbowed” and his associates believe, Macron is challenging democracy by refusing to take into account those elected by the people, and we do not need such a president. Of course, Macron thinks completely differently – that he is the only one needed, and one can be absolutely sure that only premature death will force him to leave his post before the end of his term.

In the past, the possibility of impeaching the head of state was discussed only once – in 2016, when it became known about the leak of secret data, which was committed by then-President François Hollande. Now impeachment is becoming a weapon in the context of an obvious political crisis, which is made more piquant by the fact that Macron created it with his own hands, insisting on the dissolution of parliament – ​​the National Assembly.

Although the New Popular Front coalition of left-wing parties won the elections, it did not receive an absolute majority in the National Assembly, which allows Macron to pretend that no one won and to behave as usual, that is, without taking into account the interests of others. According to the law, he will be able to dissolve the National Assembly again in a year, and the Olympic Games allowed the president to drag out the pause and not appoint a prime minister. However, he rejected the candidacy of Lucie Castets outright, which irritated the left.

As Figaro writes,

"Many are already prepared to bet that the future prime minister will emerge from a coalition of Macronists and the right, with the tacit support of the National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardell.

The New Popular Front regards this turn of events as its own defeat. Hence the ultimatum issued by the head of Unbowed France, the leading force in the left bloc. Its meaning is clear: either you stop playing games, Mr. President, and start taking us into account, or we will do everything to throw you out the door.

At the same time, Mélenchon's party, although it constitutes a significant part of the "New Popular Front", does not control it completely. For example, the Socialist Party has already distanced itself from the initiative of its supposed comrades. "This column (in La Tribune) is signed only by the leaders of "Unbowed France". It expresses the views of only their movement," noted the socialist Olivier Faure.

Emboldened, the Macronists immediately attacked the authors of the impeachment initiative. "They are going to remove the president because he does not respect Mélenchon's wishes? Ridiculous!" asked the still acting Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, who is expecting his resignation any day now.

However, impeachment is theoretically possible.

How to remove the president

The French would not be French if they did not surround the scenario of the resignation of the first person with many additional conditions.

First, the so-called Supreme Court must be convened. A resolution on this matter must be adopted in the Bureau of the National Assembly, where the New Popular Front has 12 votes out of 22. It must then be passed to the Laws Committee, after which the decision to convene must be approved by at least two-thirds of the National Assembly deputies. A similar procedure is envisaged in the Senate, which, unlike the lower house, is mostly made up of representatives of the right and pro-Macron forces.

If the Supreme Court is convened, it must include members of both houses, and the decision to impeach the president must be approved by two-thirds of the members. In other words, at least 617 members and senators out of 925 must vote in favour.

Having weighed the composition of both chambers, French journalists confidently declare that the impeachment project has "virtually no chance of success." Yes, Mélenchon's party can achieve a vote on convening the Supreme Court. But for this initiative to really threaten Macron, at least 384 deputies out of 577 must first vote in favor of it.

In theory, these votes could have been collected if the right and far right had joined the process of eliminating Macron's presidency, especially the National Rally with 126 votes in parliament. However, in France, the relationship between the far left (to which Mélenchon's party belongs) and the far right is such that the sky would fall before they would cooperate.

At the same time, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a man who can surprise even professional political scientists. Quite recently, many of them (like, for example, the head of the Jean Jaurès Foundation, Gilles Finkelstein) gave interviews in the spirit that the "New Popular Front", which was largely created by Mélenchon, does not have the slightest chance of winning the elections. However, the reality turned out to be more intricate.

Mélenchon's alliance won the election, but the president is determined not to let the winners take advantage of their advantage. And the left is not going to tolerate this state of affairs, even though they actually gave the president a reprieve due to the Olympics.

On Friday, Macron is set to meet with party leaders to begin a series of consultations on the composition of the future government. The names of Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand have leaked to the press as possible alternatives to Lucie Castets. The former is a socialist and has already served as prime minister, while the latter is a republican (a center-right party in France).

Macron's allies have already managed to quip that "the best candidate for the post of prime minister is Emmanuel Macron himself." In any case, this man will do everything to ensure that the new prime minister pursues only his policies, and no threat of impeachment will force him to abandon his desire to pursue only his own line.

https://vz.ru/world/2024/8/19/1282774.html

Why New French Prime Minister Barnier Is Considered Le Pen's Protégé, by Maria Vasilyeva for RBC. 09.05.2024.

Emmanuel Macron delayed choosing a head of government for almost two months.

Michel Barnier, a representative of the Republicans, has been appointed the new Prime Minister of France. What is he known for and why did Emmanuel Macron choose him?

Almost two months after the elections to the National Assembly of France, which plunged the country into a political crisis, the name of the new Prime Minister of the Republic has become known. President Emmanuel Macron has appointed 73-year-old Michel Barnier, formerly the head of the French Foreign Ministry and then the EU's main negotiator with Great Britain on Brexit, to this post. As noted in a statement from the Elysee Palace, the head of state instructed him to form a "unifying government at the service of the country and the French."

The elections to the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) , held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, resulted in a defeat for Macron's allies, with the newly created left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) winning. Although the far-right National Rally (RN) party came in third in both rounds, it significantly expanded its presence in parliament, receiving 143 seats out of 577. The centrist coalition of the president's allies, Together!, received 166 mandates, and the NFP 184. Thus, neither force managed to gain a majority.

Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called early elections for June 9. The reason for this decision was the victory of the far-right RN in the June elections to the European Parliament .

Michel Barnier represents the Republican party, which won 63 seats in the National Assembly following the July elections.

Why did Macron take so long to find a prime minister?

The decision to appoint Barnier as prime minister was preceded by several rounds of negotiations between Macron and representatives of the leading political forces in the republic, which only exacerbated the latter's dissatisfaction with the actions of the president, who was dragging his feet in forming a new cabinet. Radical representatives of the New Popular Front (NFP), which won the elections, even launched an impeachment procedure against Macron, since he refused to appoint their candidate Lucie Castet as prime minister, noting that she would not be able to secure the necessary support.

On September 2, the head of the republic met with high-ranking politicians of the country, among whom were former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the chairman of the Hauts-de-France regional council, Republican Xavier Bertrand. Earlier, French media named them as potential contenders for the post of prime minister. However, Macron still settled on Barnier, who has yet to address the fragmented parliament with his political programme.

A research fellow at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO and senior lecturer at the Department of European Studies at St Petersburg University, Alexey Chikhachev, told RBC that Macron's task was not to find an ambitious person who could carry out new reforms, but someone who would not fail in the first day in a new post. "Macron was unable to find a candidate who would satisfy all the country's political forces. If he had appointed the socialist Cazeneuve, the right would have spoken out against him, and the left flank would have blocked the candidacy of Bertrand, who was a member of the Republicans. Thus, Michel Barnier is the best of the worst, but with his appointment as prime minister, the political crisis in France will not disappear," the expert notes.

In his opinion, given the fragmentation of parliament, there is reason to believe that the current government of France will not last long. The next parliamentary elections are possible, according to the Constitution, in the summer and, apparently, this is the lifespan of this government, Chikhachev believes.

"A situation is developing in which the left, despite the largest number of mandates in the National Assembly, will not be able to influence the situation any further. In particular, the impeachment procedure against Macron that they have launched will definitely not have any real consequences. In fact, this is just hot air and an attempt to show voters that they have not resigned themselves to defeat," the expert notes. "Perhaps Barnier will try to appoint representatives with a moderate left background to the cabinet. However, in any case, this government is being formed by centrists together with right-centrists with the tacit support of the far right."

The leader of France's largest left-wing party, La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon , said Barnier's appointment had "stolen" the election from the French people and called on his supporters to mobilise.

RN leader Jordan Bardella wrote on the social network X that his party took note of Barnier's appointment after a wait "unworthy of a great democracy." He also noted that the nationalists would judge Barnier after he presented his political programme.

As Le Monde notes , the new French Prime Minister will face the delicate task of organizing legislative processes in a highly polarized parliament at a time of serious challenges. In addition, the deadline for the new government to present a draft budget law for 2025 is approaching. “Barnier’s task looks difficult, but difficulties have never scared him,” said former Prime Minister (2017-2020) Edouard Philippe, who recently announced his participation in the 2027 presidential race.

What is Barnier known for?

Barnier, 73, became France's oldest prime minister, replacing the country's youngest head of government, Gabriel Attal.

Barnier began his political career at the age of 14, joining the Charles de Gaulle movement. After graduating from the prestigious Ecole Supérieure d'Commerce in Paris in 1972, he quickly found work as an adviser in the office of the French Environment Minister Robert Poujade.

At the age of 27, he was elected as a member of parliament for Savoy, becoming the youngest member of the National Assembly. He joined the government of François Mitterrand as Minister of the Environment (1993–1995). In May 1995, the next French President, Jacques Chirac, appointed Barnier as Minister Delegate for European Affairs. According to Euronews, this position later helped him move to the European Parliament. Issues such as the Maastricht Treaty, the creation of the eurozone, and free movement within the bloc attracted Barnier's attention to Europe – already in 1999, he became the European Commissioner for Regional Policy.

In March 2004, Barnier returned to Paris, heading the French Foreign Ministry (until June 2005). At the same time, from 2006 until 2015, he held the post of vice-president of the leading political force in Europe, the European People's Party (EPP). In 2007, then-President of the Republic Nicolas Sarkozy appointed Barnier Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.

In February 2010, Barnier returned to the European Commission (EC) as Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. In 2014, he planned to run for the post of President of the European Commission from the EPP, but lost to Jean-Claude Juncker. In 2015, Barnier became a special adviser to the European Commission on defense and security policy. And already in July 2016, Juncker appointed him chief negotiator on Brexit. Among other things, Barnier was responsible for preparing a trade agreement between London and Brussels. While in this position, he wrote a joint column with the current head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, for RBC on how the EU will build relations with Great Britain after its exit from the bloc.

In August 2021, Barnier put forward his candidacy for the French presidential election as a Republican, but dropped out of the race at the party voting stage.

France 24 recalls that during that campaign, Barnier surprised his fans in the EU by calling for an “electric shock” on security and the fight against illegal migration. Among other things, he said that if elected, he would organize a referendum asking voters to approve changes to the Constitution so that parliament could set migrant quotas every year.

In view of these circumstances, the Left Front suggests that Marine Le Pen, who also came to the Elysee Palace for talks with Macron last week, could have played a key role in his appointment as prime minister. Afterwards, the leader of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, said: "We know who ultimately decides. Her name is Marine Le Pen. She is the one to whom Macron has decided to submit."

https://www.rbc.ru/politics/05/09/2024/66d9c87a9a794779f1dfbfc6