Hello, it’s lunchtime in Paris and Emmanuel Macron is unveiling his platform for his re-election campaign. A lengthy press conference is expected. This will be his response to accusations that he is avoiding the campaign.
What happened yesterday? Prime Minister Jean Castex said that the government will spend an extra 7 billion euros to help citizens and businesses most affected by the war in Ukraine.
Why does it matter? Purchasing power is still, more than ever, the key issue for French citizens, with less than four weeks until the first round of the presidential election. With inflation now rising over 4%, the government is under pressure.
The Elysée Palace seems to be feeling generous at the moment, but of course there’s no link with the upcoming presidential election. Now could be the perfect time to ask the Elysée for a favor. Got noisy neighbors? Ring up Macron; you never know.
Despite a new surge in Covid cases (more a ripple than a wave, actually), since Monday, French citizens have been allowed to stop wearing masks (except in public transport) and no longer need to show their vaccine pass when going out for dinner in a restaurant.
Gasoline prices are ticking up because of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The government plans to release billions of euros to slow it down. Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire said the extra bill could reach 22 billion euros for the entire year, including electricity price caps. Civil servants usually back the left and Emmanuel Macron isn’t necessarily close to their hearts but they nevertheless heard good news on Tuesday: they should get a raise in July. Conveniently just before summer vacations. Emmanuel Macron’s entourage is probably religiously repeating mantras like “whatever it takes”.
Now for the thorny question of Corsica. For more than 40 years, the Mediterranean island has had an ingrained sense of identity which tends to clash with the Jacobin (meaning centralized) nature of the French state. In the past this has fueled an independentist movement as well as violent episodes and terrorist attacks against symbols of the state. When an icon of Corsican nationalism, sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of a French official, was seriously injured by a fellow inmate in early March, riots broke out in the two main Corsican cities of Ajaccio and Bastia.
First, the government reacted by lifting a measure that prevented two accomplices sentenced to the same penalty from being detained in Corsica. Then Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin waved a magic wand: the word “autonomy” muttered in an interview with a Corsican newspaper ahead of a two-day visit.
For years, Corsican political leaders have been calling for this status, which would give greater powers to the local government in terms of taxation, public security or civil liberties, while remaining a part of the French Republic. Despite resounding successes in local elections, it had little effect until now. First, the issue got stuck when the right-wing Sénat buried a constitutional reform. Then it was forgotten when the Yellow Vest protests broke out, followed by a pandemic and now war on European soil.
Emmanuel Macron’s opponents were quick to blame him for setting a bad example. They accused him of ceding too quickly to Molotov cocktails and rabble-rousers when he had refused to consider the question in the face of ballots and quiet voters. Gérard Darmanin did, however, say that autonomy would come with many caveats, starting with the non-negotiable of an end to violence.
Most left-wing candidates are in favor of various degrees of autonomy, much like the majority of French citizens (53% of them, 20 points fewer than Corsicans). Conservative candidate Valérie Pécresse is more cautious on the question, and far-right candidates Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour have insisted that Corsica is and must remain a part of France.
Emmanuel Macron is hoping that the French will only pay attention to what his government is doing to boost their purchasing power, without noticing the embarrassing concessions on Corsica. The path would be very narrow if the Russian invasion, the atrocities of war and Ukrainian refugees’ despair were not overriding all other news stories.
Still, the outgoing president is entering dangerous waters. Protest movements know instantly when the government is starting to let down its guard. There is not much time left until the first round of the election, but the government may find it very long.
Quote of the day
“I’m not ruling out reducing the length of vacations.”
Environmentalist candidate Yannick Jadot mentioned in an interview with Christian newspaper The cross the possibility of calling into question a hallmark of French society: the sacred two months of summer vacation. “I’m not ruling out reducing the length of vacations, especially the summer vacation, and as a result rethinking teachers’ work hours,” he said. “All countries that have better educational results than us have less school vacation,” he added. If elected (which is highly unlikely), the decision would be left to the “consensus conference” that he intends to set up, and “to collective negotiations.”
Countdown
24 days until the presidential election’s first round
38 days until the presidential election’s second round
Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow.