Macron ignores last election results

 

Source: Contre-Attaque, September 5, 2024

Translation from French: Alain Marshal

 France: After Two Months Without a Government, an Old Right-Winger is Appointed Prime Minister

In 2017, Macron was marketed by the media as a new product. He was elected without a program, solely on the argument that he represented the “new world,” breaking away from the old political class. Seven years later, Macron is resurrecting the worst aspects of the old world, amidst increasing fascization and overt authoritarianism, having shattered the last illusions of representative democracy.

Michel Barnier: A Political Dinosaur

After a prolonged indecision over several candidates for Prime Minister, Macron ultimately chose Michel Barnier, thereby sidelining Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand, other contenders for the role. Michel Barnier epitomizes the political dinosaur: an old-school figure who has been entrenched in the circles of power for 50 years.

Indeed, Michel Barnier has been in politics since the 1970s. At 73, he has been with the UDR, the RPR, the UMP, and finally Les Républicains. These acronyms might not mean much to you: they represent the names of French right-wing parties that have come and gone throughout the Fifth Republic. He has served as Minister for the Environment, European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Food, and has twice been a European Commissioner. He has served under Pompidou, Chirac, and Sarkozy — times so distant that most of our readers weren’t even born, with the average age of the French being around 41. Michel Barnier was a professional politician before most of the population was born!

What’s even more amusing is that Barnier is a member of an endangered party, which garnered only 4.8% of the vote in the last presidential elections and came fourth in the legislative elections earlier this summer. His legitimacy is questionable at best.

Clarification

At least things are clear: Macron reiterated that Mélenchon’s Left-Wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), with its 193 MPs, did not have an absolute majority and therefore could not form a government. Ultimately, he appointed the representative of an ultra-minority group with only 55 MPs, with the sole aim of continuing to govern with the right and far right, and pursuing his massively rejected policies. It’s a power grab.

A few days ago, the newspaper L’Opinion revealed that Macron “wants to appoint the ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces. But he also intends to choose the occupants of the Interior and Bercy.” On August 30, L’Humanité reported that Macron had said: “If I appoint NFP’s Lucie Castets, she will repeal the pension reform and raise the minimum wage to 1,600 euros…” That’s the crux of the issue: the ruling clan will do anything to prevent even the slightest social advancement.

For its part, Le Parisien explained that Macron had been consulting with Sarkozy, the former right-wing president and convicted criminal, over the summer, seeking his advice on the choice of Prime Minister. On September 2, Le Monde reported that “the Élysée had already found a chief of staff for the next Prime Minister.” This is no longer cohabitation; it’s subletting. The real Prime Minister is Macron. The already tenuous separation of powers is officially abolished.

So Much for That

Recall that the President dissolved the Assembly in an emergency, gave it 15 days to vote, preventing a real campaign, only to wait 50 days and appoint a puppet Prime Minister. For over two months, the press has been complicit in the Macronist coup, never questioning the narrative. In mid-July, they announced: “Prime Minister after the Olympic truce.” On August 27, the headlines still read: “Macron will name a Prime Minister at the end of the week.” Today is September 5.

The Far Right in Power

Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) has made it clear that it will not censure this Prime Minister. Its spokesperson, Bardella, is even the first politician to respond to the power grab, soberly stating that he “takes note” of the appointment. Bardella announced that he would “judge by evidence,” meaning the far right will not oppose the new government.

In fact, a coalition ranging from the RN to the Macronists is being officially formed before our very eyes. It’s a union of the right and far right against the left, to disregard electoral results, and above all, to continue favoring the rich while wreaking havoc on the lives of the poorest.

In June, the Rassemblement National was the only party to call for dissolution, and Macron granted its wish. For months, Macronists had been holding secret dinners with the Le Pen clan. The current coup is thus a continuation of a process that began long ago.

Now, the last masks have fallen. This pathetic appointment may be the final breath of an old world coming to an end. It is up to the streets to put an end to this dismal spectacle.