Several opposition parties have decided to boycott Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to a new meeting in Saint-Denis on Friday November 17, a decision which angers the head of state.
Emmanuel Macron is angry at being let down, in a way, by the party leaders who declined his invitation to the second meeting in Saint-Denis scheduled for Friday, November 17. He denounced Wednesday “a major political mistake”. He even judged “unworthy”frankly, the absence of these leaders at a “working meeting devoted to institutional reforms”.
In his sights, we find the socialist Olivier Faure, the rebellious Manuel Bompard and above all, the boss of LR, Éric Ciotti who, Tuesday November 14, announced his refusal to participate in “yet another communication operation by the President”.
The defection of the guest of choice
Emmanuel Macron is furious because he had concocted an agenda specifically to cajole the right. With in particular the possible extension of the scope of the referendum to social issues, and the prospect, perhaps one day, of a referendum on immigration. Exactly what Eric Ciotti asked for! A bit like when you prepare your favorite dish for a guest and it cancels at the last minute.
In addition, the leader of the right also used the excuse of the President’s absence from the march against anti-Semitism on Sunday, November 12, and this rebuke, since Monday, has exasperated Emmanuel Macron. The latter is perhaps also all the more annoyed because strangely, he had not anticipated the right’s crime.
Political ball
The staging of the first meeting in Saint-Denis, at the end of August, had turned a little too much to his advantage. Some participants felt like they were being used as foils and basically nothing came of it. Éric Ciotti did not want to appear again with Emmanuel Macron at a time when Gérald Darmanin is begging for the votes of LR deputies to have his text on immigration voted on.
The right is therefore locked into systematic opposition at a time when the majority takes up some of its proposals. It is cynical, perhaps even suicidal in the eyes of his electorate since this empty chair policy is the delight of the far right. Because Jordan Bardella will be there and there, the RN never stops playing the good student to be in the front row in the photo.
In fact, far from regenerating the democratic debate, we see that these high masses of Saint-Denis turn into a game of postures. They are content to put on a show while Parliament, the true cradle of democratic life, has so much difficulty making the law.