that will turn for Makron misconduct of his bodyguard

In France, the scandal continues because of the illegal actions of the ex-guard of President Macron's body. The case of Benall has already had a negative impact on the rating of the head of state and, according to experts, will complicate the implementation of its reforms.

Casual bodyguard

French President Emmanuelle Macron and her entourage continue to be criticized for the actions of the former chief of security of French leader Alexander Benall. He is accused of illegally using force against protesters in Paris on May 1, illegal possession of arms and abuse of power, writes Ouest-France. If Benall's guilt is proven, he faces three to seven years in prison and a fine ranging from 45,000 to 100,000 euros, according to Libération.

The crime was revealed by the video published on July 18th by the newspaper Le Monde of May 1st. in Paris. He shows how Benalla strikes a young man and catches a girl by the neck. Benallah was in the police helmet, although he did not have a proper license. Among other things, he tried to seize a police band with a record of his actions, in which he helped three law enforcement officers, their actions also became the reason for the investigation , reports The Guardian. After the appearance of Benall's video in France, the most scandalous scandal of the beginning of the Macron presidency was won in the spring of 2017. On July 19th, the spokesman of the Elysée, Bruno Roger -Small, confirms that Benall does not have the power to control the order on the first of May and that he followed them "as an observer". Benallah "has clearly exceeded his authority," added Roger-Petit. On July 20, Benalla, who had been in charge of Macron's personal security since the beginning of his presidency, was fired.

Monday, July 23, the French Minister of the Interior, Gerard Colombe, was obliged to give explanations to Parliament on this scandal. The minister told members that he and the president had been informed of the video recording the day after the incident, May 2.

Doubts about the role of the president

The press service of the president said that since May 4 the bodyguard was removed from office, including banned from working during visits of foreign leaders to Macron, reports the BBC. if. However, the head of state learned the content of the video only on July 18, badured Monday the Secretary of State for Relations with Parliament Christophe Castagnier (quote BFM).

However, Benall, despite the statement of the Macron press service, continued to work. The Libération newspaper published photos from mid-July, in which Benalla appeared in public as part of the presidential guard. He was also one of those who met the national football team at the Elysee Palace on July 16 after returning with a win at the World Championships in Moscow.

The president's office admitted that the reaction to the Benall scandal was insufficient. On Sunday, the media reported that President Makron had asked the Secretary General of the Elysee, Alexis Kohler, to prepare proposals for the reorganization of the presidential apparatus to make it more effective. The issues and circumstances of Benall's hiring are also raised, reports Le Figaro. The hard nature of the former bodyguard of the president was known for a long time. As evidence, the newspaper quotes the story of the former Minister of the Economy, Arnaud Montebour, of which Benalla was a driver. According to the former minister, once Benell became the culprit of the accident and tried to escape the scene, after which he was fired.

French Watergate

The scandal surrounding Benall was sparked in the opposition. According to the far-left leader Jean-Luc Melanchon, the situation with Macron's former bodyguard is "the new Watergate" (evoking the political scandal in the United States in 1972-1974, where the seat of Republican Richard Nixon was accused of espionage of the Democratic Party and which then led to the resignation of Nixon from the post of president.) – Ed.). "Macron thought everything would dissolve all by itself, but no one will close their eyes," Melanchon said in an interview with Le Monde

. According to the leader of the center-right Republicans, Laurent Vakie, the scandal calls into question Macron's intention to eradicate the corruption of France, which he declared during the presidential campaign. "The case of Benall is the end of Emmanuel Macron's speech on an impeccable republic.The French understand that all this (promises to eradicate corruption – Ed) – no more than words and illusions", he said on Twitter. "This case threatens the foundations of our state," said Christian Jacob, leader of the Republican faction in the lower house of parliament, in favor of Vakye's opinion

: "If the president knew the behavior of Benall before the publication of The World, "Paul Smith, Associate Professor at the Department of French Studies of the University of Nottingham, in an interview with RBC

Reforms Are Paralyzed

The Case Benell has already led to a record drop in the rating of M The proportion of French respondents who do not trust the president in the last survey in July was 64%, 7% more than the average in June and 13% more that in January. This is highlighted by data from a study conducted by the Kantar TNS Center for the newspaper Le Figaro.

The scandal has considerably complicated the implementation of macro-planned transformations, experts say. As Paul Smith of the University of Nottingen pointed out, the first victim of the scandal was the constitutional reforms planned by Macro, which involve including a reduction in the number of deputies. The parliamentary committees supposed to examine the bill were engaged in the investigation of the Benall case, explained the badistant professor.

The debate on constitutional reform will resume when conditions for talks become healthier, Minister of Justice Nicole Belloube badured. "The drafting of the bill will be resumed only in the autumn," predicts Sergei Fyodorov, research badociate of the Institute of Europe's Academy of Sciences. Russia, in an interview with RBC. Among other things, the French president pledged to cut public spending, complete labor market reform and increase the efficiency of state-owned enterprises, Fedorov said. However, in the context of the scandal, Macron's image is visibly clouded, his positions have been undermined, which can become an additional factor in the implementation of initiatives, sums up the situation. expert.