Discreet on the subject since the start of the examination and then the adoption of the pension reform by Parliament, Emmanuel Macron will speak on Wednesday at 1 p.m. on television. In the midst of a political crisis while public opinion is showing its discontent throughout France, the government of Élisabeth Borne avoided censorship by nine votes on Monday, March 20, in the National Assembly, after having made use of article 49- 3 of the Constitution. Specialist in political communication, Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet deciphers for Le Point the stakes of such a presidential speech.
Le Point: What should we expect during this speech by Emmanuel Macron?
Is Emmanuel Macron speaking too late on the subject?
The challenge is already launched and it is gone for several weeks. The damage is done, no matter what. Even if he speaks after the fact, it is up to the president to specify the ways out of the crisis, he must make strong announcements to show that there is a reaction to the major political crisis. He has several options left: suspend the reform, as Jacques Chirac had done, until tensions calm down or dissolve the Assembly. But I have little hope, I think we will all be disappointed. It is not in the mentality of the president to have an agenda dictated to him. The mandate is over anyway, Emmanuel Macron will not find a majority in the Assembly: there are 19 Republican deputies who voted censorship and MoDem deputies are calling for the resignation of Elisabeth Borne. However, on the side of the Élysée, it is as if, now that the two motions of censure have been rejected, the crisis is over and it is time to move on.
What is the scale of the crisis facing the President?
The problem is not pension reform, but it is a question of democracy, of how to exercise power. It is the whole system, this almost monarchical regime, which is called into question. And that’s what you have to answer tomorrow during the interview. Emmanuel Macron imposed his reform on everyone, when the timing was bad and his own experts said it was not necessary. He sent the Prime Minister into battle and let the crisis grow and fester. We almost didn’t hear from him on the issue, even though it was his choice from the start. We must also see that we were already in a context of crisis: between the Yellow Vests and the Covid, for three years, there has been a prior climate of social tensions. If the President fails to show understanding and a sense of compromise on Wednesday, the risk of making the situation worse is real.
Consult our file: Pensions: the big bang
