– The week France plunged into political chaos
Since Sunday, French political life has accelerated incredibly. Story of a crazy week and the resulting reconstructions.
Published today at 8:16 p.m.
Emmanuel Macron, Sunday, when the dissolution was announced. A decision considered and prepared for longer than we thought.
AFP/LUDOVIC MARIN
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How Macron decided, alone in his corner
This may seem astonishing, but the decision to dissolve the National Assembly was considered for months in the greatest secrecy, within a very small group of collaborators close to Emmanuel Macron. According to “Le Monde”, which tells the story, the central characters would be the secretary general of the Élysée, Alexis Kohler, in favor of the dissolution, his memory advisor, Bruno Roger-Petit, who prepared it, and his former personal advisor, now Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné. A few days before the European elections, he raised the hypothesis in front of a person in charge of the Jean Jaurès Foundation: “We will be in bad shape, but the Nupes will have exploded, LR will be divided. So where we were either eliminated or beaten in triangulars in 2022, we have a chance,” he explained. The Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly or strong allies like Edouard Philippe were, however, only warned at the very last moment.