Emmanuel Macron raises the question of mea culpa over the parliamentary elections in France
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French President Emmanuel Macron said he took responsibility for the political divisions caused by his decision to hold early parliamentary elections in the summer, saying the move had created “more instability than peace”.
“Tonight I have to admit that the dissolution, at this moment, has brought more divisions to the Assembly than solutions for the French people,” he said in his annual New Year’s address. “I fully accept that.”
The address, Macron’s eighth as president, ends a year in which his political influence was significantly weakened by the dissolution in June, which empowered the far-right National Assembly and left the French parliament divided into three blocs.
After the disappointing performance of its centrist candidates in the European elections in early June, Macron surprised France by dissolving parliament, saying the country needed a “moment of clarity” to deal with the rise of the RN in European elections.
But the elections that followed produced a decisive rejection of his centrist, pro-business agenda and made the RN the largest party in France in a divided parliament.
In September, Macron appointed conservative politician and former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as prime minister. However, he was ousted last month in a vote of no confidence after he failed to garner support from the left and far right for a budget designed to reduce France’s deficit, which has grown to more than 6 percent in 2024.
Macron has since appointed his ally François Bayrou as prime minister. Urging politicians to compromise in 2025, he suggested he might also ask French voters to vote again in the year ahead.
“I will also ask you to decide on some key issues, as each of you will have a role to play,” he said in comments that several commentators said suggested potential referendums in 2025.
Macron also referred to the foreign policy challenges for France next year.
After the re-election of Donald Trump as US president, who urged NATO allies to increase defense spending, Macron said: “Europe can no longer delegate its security and defense to other powers”, repeating his calls for more European defense spending.
He also called on Europe to “simplify its rules” to encourage more business investment.
However, it is unlikely that the address will change the perception of Macron among voters. His popularity has fallen to a record low this year, with just 21 percent of people trusting his ability to tackle France’s problems, according to a poll by Elabe in December.
His far-right rival Marine Le Pen said in her own New Year’s message on Tuesday that “belated regrets or superficial pleas from a head of state who is definitely discredited will not change anything.”
While she did not openly call on Macron to hold early presidential elections before the next election scheduled for 2027, Le Pen said 2025 would be a “decisive year”, adding that France could only solve its problems with a “democratic decision”.
