In an interview with La Provence and La Tribune Dimanche published on Saturday May 4, Emmanuel Macron addressed the question of institutions. On this occasion, he repeated that introducing “a proportional element” to the legislative elections “would be good for democracy”.
A subject which divides within its camp and which then calls into question its implementation. Could he? “If a majority emerges to introduce a proportional part, yes. This is the commitment I made. I think it would be good for democracy,” replied the head of state.
Emmanuel Macron promised in 2017 to introduce a “dose of proportionality” to the legislative elections. During the 2022 campaign, the president once again said he was in favor of proportional representation, even opening the door to full proportional representation, with a number of seats proportional to the total votes obtained.
The President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, in favor of a proportional share, launched consultations on the subject. But the presidential camp is divided on the issue. The leader of the Renaissance deputies, Sylvain Maillard, is against it, as is the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Marie Lebec, while the allies of the MoDem have long campaigned in favor of this voting method.
Successive presidential terms
In the interview, Emmanuel Macron also mentions the limitation to two of the number of successive presidential mandates. This rule “is there and I am not going to change the Constitution”, but “if you ask me my personal opinion: I think it is always better when we leave the choice to the voters”, he says.
“I’m not necessarily telling you that I would have liked to be a candidate for a third term”, but “when we put prohibitions in the law, we capture in a way a part of the freedom of voters, who are Kings “.
The President of the Republic also expresses certain regrets after seven years in power. “I would have liked to carry out the point-based pension reform promised for the first five-year term. The yellow vest crisis and then Covid prevented us from doing so, he emphasizes. It was more difficult to carry out than the one we did last year [the extension of the legal age to 64] because it more fundamentally overhauled the system. I think this is something that would have profoundly changed things. »
Emmanuel Macron would also have “liked to complete the institutional reform stopped in 2018”, impacted by the Benalla affair. It notably provided for the reduction in the number of parliamentarians and the introduction of a dose of proportionalism.
Asked about the situation of relative majority which has prevailed in the Assembly since 2022, Mr. Macron believes that this has “not prevented reforms”, even if it could “confuse things because the parliamentary debate is diluted by political considerations.” “But it’s up to us to clarify,” he said. The French wanted “something more like a proportional system” and this “forces us to find compromises”, he still judges.
And if by chance a motion of censure were to be voted on, as the oppositions threaten, Mr. Macron “[would draw the] political and institutional consequences which will depend on the circumstances,” he assures.
