Objective: de-dramatize, reduce the pressure, find a little oxygen and time. After all, recalled the Head of State, in most European democracies, no party alone has an absolute majority. Precisely in 19 member countries of the EU out of 27. He cited two of our neighbours, Germany and Italy, led, one by a coalition, and the other by a government of national unity.
The president ruled out this last hypothesis. The national union, the leaders of the political formations that he received for two days do not want it, he himself is not warm, and the situation, he says, does not justify it. Two hypotheses therefore remain: to form a coalition or to negotiate on a case-by-case basis majorities of circumstance according to the bills. But these two ways out of the crisis do not depend on the goodwill of Emmanuel Macron alone, and that is why he returned the ball to the opposition camp.
He does not count on the benevolence of either the Lepenist extreme right or that of the Melenchonist Insoumis. It is to the rest of the left, socialist and environmentalist, and especially to the right, to LR, that Emmanuel Macron is addressing when he asks the parties to “say in full transparency how far they are ready to go to build compromises with the presidential majority”. It is a way of calling public opinion to witness: if the blockage persisted, it would be the fault of the opposition. For the time being, LR refuses any coalition agreement, but the majority does not despair of winning a few rallies in the Assembly.
So far, not much. The President recalls that he was re-elected less than two months ago, that the presidential majority is by far the leading political force in the Assembly, and that his project cannot therefore be distorted. When we listened carefully on Wednesday evening, there were still two shortcomings, two silences heavy with meaning which perhaps presage concessions to come.
First, this project must be funded, but Emmanuel Macron was careful not to mention the need to work longer and not more pension reform. And then, there is a name that he did not pronounce, that of Elisabeth Borne. If we have to go through this to find an “enlarged majority”, Emmanuel Macron would no doubt be ready to change the tenant of Matignon.