Macron remakes the French government – The Washington Post

PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday morning a much-awaited cabinet shuffle, widely seen as an attempt to stabilize a historic decline in popularity and a growing sense of political isolation.

For nearly two weeks, France has not had a complete government, following a series of surprise resignations after the summer, which have dealt a blow to the image of Macron and his ability to govern effectively. But on Tuesday, under increasing pressure, the 40-year-old president announced a new list of names.

The changes were not very important, which led many to wonder why the announcement had been so long. The choices were also not totally unpredictable: Christophe Castaner, who headed the Macron political party, was appointed Minister of the Interior, responsible for national security, one of the largest in the French government. Macron also named the new ministers of culture and agriculture, but other important positions were left as they were.

The news hardly deterred the feeling of panic at the Elysee.

"He won with a mixture of luck, intuition and daring.Today he is less fortunate and he has made some remarkable mistakes," said Gilles Finchelstein, director of the Fondation Jean Jaurès, a think-tank based in Paris and linked to the Socialist Party, but also to the Macron campaign.

There are indeed signs that Macron's luck – once seemingly bottomless – could diminish. In recent weeks, for example, his administration has experienced two important resignations that surprised the young president.

At the end of August, Nicolas Hulot, his extremely popular environment minister and former TV representative, announced that he would be leaving the government for a live radio show. Hulot questioned the mismatch between Macron's words and actions on climate change. Macron – in a series of grandiose and varied speeches – had sought to make one of his flagship political commitments.

"Have we started to reduce the use of pesticides? The answer is no, "said Hulot on the show. "Have we started to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? The answer is no. Or to stop the erosion of biodiversity? No."

In September, Gerard Collomb, French Minister of the Interior, also resigned, but with an even sharper criticism. Collomb, 71, tackled what he called Macron's "lack of humility". During a television interview in early September, he used the language of antiquity to present Macron as a tragic hero.

"Hubris is the curse of the gods," said Collomb, "when, at some point, you become too sure of yourself, you think you can take everything away."

More than a year after his presidency, Macron – seen from abroad – is still often perceived as the antithesis of President Trump: the young French president photogenic, aged only 40, is a globalist who strongly condemned nationalism and populism, advocating the strengthening of Europe. integration and have repeatedly called for action on climate change, and sometimes in perfect English.

[French environment minister quits with criticism of Macron]

But Macron's image at home is very different, and has been for a while. In France, Macron is considered a monarchical figure and he is often caricatured as the second coming of the old regime.

To a certain extent, it goes in the same direction: the French always turn against their presidents, especially at this stage of their five-year term. Macron was elected in May 2017 on a wave of optimism and nearly 18 months later, the luster has faded, as he has done for almost all new French presidents. The difference, however, is that Macron's popularity has fallen below that of its previous three predecessors. Few started so high and fell until now.

According to a survey conducted in September by IFOP, one of the leading French survey agencies, Macron's popularity is currently 29%, down significantly from the 34% it had in August. The survey was based on a survey of 1,964 people. When Macron was elected in 2017, his approval rate was 66%, more than double his current status.

For Jerome Fourquet, political analyst based in Paris and Director of IFOP, part of the explanation is immediate: the polls fell sharply during the summer, from 40% in June to 29% in September, partly because of the fallout from the month of August "Benalla affair", in which a member of Macron's security services was filmed striking protesters of the labor movement.

Benalla wore police clothes without permission and the Elysee attempted to conceal the scandal. According to Mr. Fourron, Macron campaigned on "the promise of an exemplary republic" and promised a "break" between "the old world of politics and a new transparent and appropriate world". But the Benalla affair hinted that his presidency was a case. as usual.

There is a reality: many ordinary French voters call Macron "the president of the rich" and perceive him as disconnected and even arrogant. In September, for example, Macron told a young jobless gardener that he only had to cross the street to find a job in a café or restaurant. "If I crossed the street, I'd find you one," said Macron.

"He has not really changed since he was president and the same speech does not work the same way because he is now President of the Republic," said Finchelstein, referring to Macron's rhetoric.

"Before, he was direct. he was different from others. Now he's arrogant. The French do not see him the same way now that he is president. All that creates a distance. "

There are also the concrete concerns of ordinary voters. The unemployment rate in France has not decreased significantly under Macron and is currently at 8.9%. In September, Macron unveiled an anti-poverty program in France worth 8 billion euros ($ 9.27 billion), but critics said this measure – announced more A year after the start of Macron's tenure – was not a real priority.

"After a year, it's time to do something," said Fourquet. "There is the perception of many voters, it's time. And he did not do much better than the others.

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