Is there a captain at the helm? The question arises seriously on the side of the macronie and the government, according to the indiscretions of certain media. We knew that the year 2023 would be difficult for Emmanuel Macron, who bases the start of his five-year term on pension reform, a bill he has been supporting since his first election but which has not seen the light of day due to the health crisis linked to Covid-19.
While the disputes have intensified for a few days, the president is absent subscribers, not commenting and not speaking publicly. As Le Parisien explains, the head of state would wait for the end of the pension debate to speak again, by the week of March 20 or that of March 27. While he must leave for China at the beginning of April, he would like to express himself before this deadline. The goal of this return? Print a “new breath” and “vitality”, after the debacle around the reform. A way, for him, to close this chapter that he knew was difficult to write for the executive power.
How to move on, after such a difficult subject? Even more, how to bring out the positive when the French are paralyzed by galloping inflation and the loss of their purchasing power? According to the Ile-de-France daily, meetings are multiplying at the top of the state, around various themes: school, health, ecology, but also on nuclear energy. Behind the scenes, explains Le Parisien, Emmanuel Macron would put pressure on his advisers, asking them to “move”: “His five-year term is played out in the spring. If he does not start immediately, it will be difficult for the rest of his mandate. So he is preparing the big maneuvers, he is determined for a big movement”, explains a relative.
If he can benefit from the support of some, others seem a little less quick to defend Emmanuel Macron. Tongues even begin to loosen and reproaches fuse.
On the side of the government, we are surprised that the president is more present on the international scene than national, while the French are going through a serious crisis linked to their purchasing power. According to franceinfo, some faithful criticize Emmanuel Macron for his disconnection and his desire to “leave a trace in history”.
We talk about the end of life, a subject on which, “like others at the moment, the president has no conviction”. He is criticized for his “overinvestment” internationally and for images that do not pass, such as that of him dancing, a beer in his hand, the day before the great mobilization against the pension reform. For a faithful of the first hour quoted by franceinfo, the observation is without appeal: “Every minute, he loses influence”.
With Le Parisien, a “familiar” takes his defense, explaining that “the president is obsessed with his own novel. The trace in History is something that speaks to him. Not for a question of ego, but for show that he has a real track record. That he is not only a president of crises, but also a president who has results and who will have been able to reform the country”.
Emmanuel Macron therefore hopes that this new chapter, which he will begin at the end of March, will allow him to achieve this objective. He would seek to better surround himself and would need, for that, the faithful among the faithful.
Emmanuel Macron could be ready to reshuffle his government in the coming weeks. If some of his ministers annoy him, he would also seek to surround himself with “flawless lieutenants”, explains Le Parisien. “He is currently evaluating the reliability and loyalty of everyone, including ministers and members of his cabinet,” explains a close friend of the president. According to the Ile-de-France daily, the president could ensure “that his apostles are still driving for him when the race for his succession is already in everyone’s mind”. Will there be a major cleaning on the side of the Elysée?
