“To counter the ebb of democracy, it is necessary to rehabilitate partisan commitment”

2023-08-23 10:00:06

Perhaps against the tide, I believe in the need to strengthen political parties and rehabilitate partisan commitment. The weakening of parties goes hand in hand with the collapse of public debate, the decline in confidence in our institutions and the weakening of democracy. The ridiculously low number of members, like the disproportionate distrust of parties, are warning signs. There is no democracy without political parties.

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The causes of French disaffection for parties are numerous, starting with the excesses of the Fourth Republic. The design of the founder of the Ve did not help: “The party system is a mess”, said General de Gaulle.

In reality, anti-partyism is persistent and even tends to thrive. In 2017, the accession of Emmanuel Macron to the presidency of the Republic, without an established organization behind him, is an illustration of this. This did nothing good in democratic terms. In this scheme, no one around the chief has their own legitimacy. However, within the majority, in the government as in Parliament, if the various actors do not have the ounce of a balance of power with the Head of State, they are not in a position to duly exercise their functions.

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Nothing inevitable. It is still necessary to be aware of the problem and to react. In terms of mechanics, there are a few changes to offer. First, better define the parties. Our Constitution mentions them elusively in its article 4 in the same way as “political groups” without knowing the distinction. The Constitution should also provide, like the German Basic Law, that “their internal organization must conform to democratic principles”. In the area of ​​financing, tax loopholes – loopholes that overvalue the opinion of the wealthiest – should be eliminated and the calculation of public funding should take into account regional and European elections in addition to legislative elections. Campaign spending limits could also be lowered and parties better funded.

Read also the tribune of Julia Cagé (2019): For “a radical reform of the public financing of political parties”

But that is not the main thing. More than grammar, I believe in the syntax of democracy. Beyond the legal framework, it is culture, education, the way of considering oneself in the city, of making the decision, of crossing swords with the adversary, of debating, of confronting ideas rather than people who matter. “Democracy is first and foremost a state of mind”in the words of Pierre Mendès-France.

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