How far to the right? France's new centre-right coalition

François PICARD | Alessandro XENOS | Rebecca GNIGNATI | Damien LECOMTE | Joseph DE WECK | François GEEROLF | Nathalie GOULET

Edité par France 24 - 2024

Even a term-limited French president has powers at his disposal and the cabinet named on Saturday seems even weaker than Macron. It is beholden to a National Assembly that is also weak: split three ways between left, centre-right and far right. When push comes to shove, is it the presidential palace that's got the strongest hand of the lot? 

New Prime Minister Michel Barnier's main task is to get a budget over the line. The EU's former Brexit negotiator does so while inheriting an off-the-charts deficit. Yes, Macron's "whatever it costs" spending policies during Covid saved small businesses and helped win him re-election in 2022. Is now the time to pay the piper?

More broadly, what to make of the most right-wing government since the days of Nicolas Sarkozy more than a decade ago? What immigration policy is likely? And with Marine Le Pen's National Rally dangling the threat of a no-confidence vote at any time over Barnier's government, how far to the right is France in 2024? 

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Mélissa Kalaydjan. 

Note
  • Back in May, Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to clear the air and called surprise snap elections. Nine weeks and one hung parliament later, does the naming of France's new centre-right coalition government seal his fate for the history books as a lame duck president whose gamble backfired miserably?

Langue
anglais
Date de publication
23/09/2024
Collection
The Debate
Contributeurs
Damien LECOMTE Political Science Researcher, Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Joseph DE WECK Columnist, Internationale Politik Quarterly; Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of 'Macron: Der revolutionäre Präsident'
François GEEROLF Economist at the OFCE; Associate Professor and Researcher, Sciences Po
Nathalie GOULET French Senator, UDI

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