Emmanuel Macron sets a record… but certainly not the one he hoped for: that of unpopularity. In the last Ifop wave for the JDD – the oldest and, let's be frank, the most reliable barometer – only 21% of French people say they are satisfied with its action. In other words, 79% dissatisfied. A monumental slap, a scathing setback, a real snub.
To find worse, we have to go back to François Hollande, in autumn 2014: 13% satisfied. Emmanuel Macron is getting dangerously close, and it's not exactly the kind of record you want. With the exception of François Hollande, no president of the Fifth Republic had ever fallen so low. The slope is steep, and the fall is dizzying.
Even General de Gaulle, in his darkest hours, had only fallen to 42%, or double. François Mitterrand, at the twilight of his reign, flirted with 22%. But Emmanuel Macron? He is in free fall halfway through. And the worst? He loses where it hurts: among his faithful. Retirees, his famous “electoral nest egg”, are abandoning him en masse. Minus 10 points in a few months.
“He wanders abroad and is no longer interested in us”
But there is another precious element in this barometer: the comments of the French themselves. Raw, unfiltered comments. And there, surprise: fewer insults, fewer outbursts than in recent months. But make no mistake, this isn’t renewed affection…it’s indifference. For many, Emmanuel Macron is already over. “He wanders abroad and is no longer interested in us”blurted out a Frenchman. “He did his circus in France, now he travels from country to country”quips another. It hurts.
Where a François Mitterrand or a Jacques Chirac, during a period of cohabitation, managed to do well by playing wise above the fray, Emmanuel Macron is accused… of hiding behind his Prime Minister. And this choice to move away from orders, hoping to improve its image, did not have the desired effect. You know the adage “Out of sight, out of mind”? Well, with Macron, it’s more “Out of sight…out of mind”.
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End of reign atmosphere
And then there is dissolution, this famous poker move which looks more and more like Russian roulette. Perhaps the most misunderstood decision of the entire Fifth Republic. The French still have not digested it. Worse: they have the impression that their president has become like them, a powerless spectator in the face of the ambient political chaos. Result ? Many are already ready to turn the page, with a clear title in mind: “End of reign!” »
-So, can we expect changes by 2027, or will Emmanuel Macron be content to endure the end of his five-year term? Hard to know. But for now, he's rowing. His last outing where he advertised an Islamist and mythomaniac influencer was a total fiasco. So what does he have left? Two strings to his bow, and no more.
Emmanuel Macron wants to return to the fundamentals of the Fifth Republic
First, the international. With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, Emmanuel Macron wants to pose as the savior of Europe. His message: without a minimum of independence, Europe will find itself sandwiched between global giants. And even weakened, the head of state can still play the card of the oldest European leader.
Then, the direct link with the French. Emmanuel Macron wants to return to the fundamentals of the Fifth Republic, Gaullian version: on one side, the Prime Minister-Parliament couple, and on the other, the president-people duo. And to recreate this direct link? The lethal weapon: the referendum. But here, be careful: you have to ask a courageous question, because asking a question to the French in a context of record unpopularity is like playing with fire. How can we prevent this referendum from turning into a sanction vote against him? It is difficult to escape the plebiscite logic.
What if the ballot boxes say “no”? It would be a bomb. A political explosion. Calls for his resignation would abound, and some would still demand an early presidential election. Emmanuel Macron, already down in the polls, could dig deeper… and ever lower. It must be said that in politics, there is a well-known adage: “As you dig, you end up finding oil. »
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