After the astonishment, the reaction. In the majority, where the spirits are still sounded by the 49.3 on the pensions and motions of censure which caused cold sweats, the glances turn, a bit feverishly, towards the president. Precisely, Emmanuel Macron is about to come out of the woods this Tuesday, March 21. And to chain political meetings. In the morning, he invited all the feathered leaders of his camp: Elisabeth Borne, the presidents of majority parliamentary groups, the presidents of Renaissance, MoDem and Horizons, as well as a slew of ministers like Gabriel Attal, Gérald Darmanin, Olivier Dussopt, Bruno le Maire, Olivier Véran, Stanislas Guerini and Franck Riester.
The agenda was turned upside down to make way, at lunchtime, for a summit meeting. The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher is invited with his counterpart from the Palais-Bourbon Yaël Braun-Pivet to the Élysée. Then, at 7:30 p.m., Emmanuel Macron receives the parliamentarians of the majority at the presidential palace. It is a question of healing the wounds of a majority whose unity has wavered in the ordeal of pensions. Several elected officials had expressed their wish to be able to exchange directly with the Head of State.
It remains to be seen when the president will address the French. “He must do it quickly, pleads a communicator from the executive. A false dish would be deleterious, it is not because the pension reform has passed that everything has passed for public opinion ”. Around the Head of State, a speech is in preparation with several possible windows of fire, from Tuesday to next week. “Speaking out is necessary,” summarizes Renaissance MP Prisca Thévenot. But to say what?
“If the president speaks, it must be wow”
Everyone has their own guess. “Macron should instil rationality, explain that he has heard the feeling of denial of democracy but that 49.3 is in the Constitution”, says a Walker. A government adviser pushes the envelope further: “The head of state should appoint a new head of government and form a collective with forces from all sides, otherwise we will find ourselves in the same impasse in a few weeks with the law on immigration”. And to add: “It would take a personality capable of bringing people together: a Gérard Larcher, a François Bayrou, a Bruno le Maire would do the trick. If the President speaks, it must be wownot to announce a reform of the vocational high school”.
In the presidential entourage, two lines clash on the tone to adopt: either continue to assume the need to carry out courageous but unpopular reforms. Or put a little water in the presidential wine, while French society is traversed by tensions in all directions. In private, the Head of State is also considering reviewing the governance system (teams, allies, etc.). He spoke about it to certain elected officials, without going into detail. If he wants to broaden his base, to avoid a new parliamentary way of the cross, his friends say, on the other hand, that he is more upset than ever against rebellious France, which he accuses of “blowing on the social embers”, reports a confidant.