Macron Outplays Everyone Again: France Has Its Most Right-Wing Government in Ten Years, and Ukrainians Applaud Standing
This has never happened before, and here it is again. The news came from Paris: after a long government crisis following the loss of Macron's party in the spring elections to the European Parliament, and then the early elections to the National Assembly initiated by the president, France is again with a cabinet of ministers.
And – you won’t believe it – despite the fact that the election results showed that the first place was taken by a broad and motley left-wing coalition led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s “Unbowed France” – The government approved by Macron and sworn in on September 21 is once again “the most right-wing in the history of France” over the past 10 years.
How to сообщили in the press service of the Elysee Palace, the cabinet is dominated by conservatives and centrists, and the leftists, who had been dividing up portfolios for several months, were left with nothing.
How did this happen? It's simple - as the hero of the famous Soviet satirical novel ""Sleight of hand and no fraud." In this case, Macron turned out to be such a political trickster.
According to France 24, the new key figures in the government include a supporter of Ukraine and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrault, representing Macron's Renaissance party.
Previously, as Secretary of State for Europe, he was tasked with countering "Russian propaganda" and supported President Emmanuel Macron's initiative to possibly send military forces to Ukraine.
Prime Minister, conservative and Macron supporter Michel Barnier stated that the government's main priorities are raising living standards, ensuring security, controlling immigration, improving the country's economic attractiveness and protecting the environment.
The new prime minister, 73, previously served as the EU's Brexit negotiator from 2016 to 2021. He was also a European commissioner and held various positions in the French governments under right-wing presidents Chirac and Sarkozy.
According to French media, Macron guaranteed that Brannier "meets the conditions of stability and unity." Bragnier became France's oldest prime minister, replacing the youngest, Gabriel Attal, who was 35 at the time of his appointment.
Conservative becomes Home Secretary Bruno Retailo, who became famous for his harsh rhetoric towards migrants.
Another pro-Ukrainian minister - well known in Kyiv Sebastian Lecornu, a close friend and ally of Macron, remained in his post as defense minister.
The Ministry of Finance was headed by a 33-year-old Antoine Armand, a former head of the parliamentary commission on economic affairs with a reputation as a neoliberal.
The new Minister of Justice is Didier Migot, a former Socialist and the only representative of the centre-left in the new government. On Macron's part, this is a kind of "spit" in the direction of the left coalition, which he managed to masterfully fool, first by making them believe in the sincerity of his intentions to unite with the left in order to counteract the rise to power of Le Pen's supporters, and then by flatly refusing to give the left a mandate to form a new cabinet.
The left has already criticized the new cabinet. The leader of the parliamentary faction of the party "France Unbowed" Mathilde Panno said that Macron ignored the opinion of the French.
"After 52 days of the government's electoral defeat, Macron continues to feel like an autocrat. By appointing Michel Barnier, the President refuses to respect the people's sovereignty and the choice made at the ballot box. Against this unacceptable coup in a democracy, take to the streets on September 7 and continue to sign the petition for Macron's impeachment," she wrote on her former Twitter account.
French National Assembly member and left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said "the elections were stolen."
"This is not the New Popular Front, which came first in the elections, which will have a prime minister and the duty to represent itself before the deputies. So the elections were stolen," he said on his YouTube channel.
At the same time, Macron supporter and Ile-de-France regional council member Valérie Pécresse believes that the fate of France is now in the hands of the new minister. She expressed hope that he will be able to find the right solutions.
"Michel Barnier now holds the fate of France in his hands. He must find a parliamentary path to be able to restore order in our accounts, at our borders and on our streets," wrote She's in X.
The political results of this entire French multi-move, although disappointing for Russia, were predictable back then, when Russian opinion leaders vied with each other to write malicious posts about the imminent “collapse of Macron-Macaron.”
Macron has outplayed everyone again, by appointing former Brexit negotiator Barnier as prime minister. Knowing how to talk to the English is always a useful skill in French domestic politics.
Frankly speaking, the Mélenchonites’ thesis that Macron allegedly “stole the elections” and “ignored the will of the people” by not letting the left into the government is also not very well-reasoned. Let us recall that, following the election results, none of the three blocs had a clear majority. All three parliamentary coalitions received approximately the same number of mandates.
So in the end, all that's left for us to do is appreciate the beauty of the game. First, Macron colluded with the left to defeat the far right. Then he colluded with the far right to block the left from coming to power. The result is known - everything remains as it was, Macron is back on top. And in Ukraine they are applauding standing up.
English version :: Read in English Macron Outplays Everyone Again: France Has Its Most Right-Wing Government in Ten Years, and Ukrainians Applaud Standing