Since his arrival at the Elysee Palace almost three years ago to the day, Emmanuel Macron has said it all over again: he has been elected to apply his program. A mantra intended to distinguish him from his predecessors, accused of having more or less reneged on their promises, but also to avoid him the sculls of the exercise of power. “Under no circumstances will I change my policy, still assured the head of state in September 2018. I am committed to carrying out the transformations that our country, for decades, had avoided by the little game of the ticking of right and left or by cowardice. (…) Our priority is not to last, but to do. “
Eighteen months later, Emmanuel Macron must see it: the 2017 program is totally or partially obsolete, shaken by the epidemic due to the coronavirus and its consequences. The pension reform has been suspended, that of the institutions is at a standstill, the budget balance is only wishful thinking… The Head of State said during his last speeches: he will change . “Tomorrow we will have to learn from the moment we are going through, he explained on March 12. The coming weeks and months will require breaking decisions. “ “Many certainties and convictions are swept away. (…) The day after (…) will not be back to the day before “, he added March 16, promising to shoot “All the consequences” of the coronavirus crisis.
But what happens when you change programs during your mandate? Is the election from the previous election enough? Should we legitimize the transfer by another means? For the past few weeks, these questions have been agitating the authorities. “If we get out of the crisis by a Keynesian-environmental shift, the president will have a problem of legitimacy and will have to come back to the people”, estimates a relative of the head of state. At the moment, no decision has been made. But Emmanuel Macron is working on it. “The deconfinement being engaged, the president will begin to fully grasp the anticipation and plan for the future, including political”, says the Elysee.
“Take your risk”
On paper, the president has several institutional solutions. The most obvious is the dissolution of the Assembly and new legislative elections. Some elected officials see it as an opportunity to strengthen the majority, blunted by departures, and to provide a foundation for Act III. But most consider it reluctantly. “At a time when parties are called to responsibility, to open an electoral period is to freeze the country”, believes a heavyweight of the majority. “There are already four elections scheduled by 2022 [le second tour des municipales, les départementales, les régionales et les sénatoriales]. Difficult to add another unless you are in permanent campaign “, warns Roland Lescure, deputy La République en Marche (LRM) of French citizens abroad.
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