If there was any doubt that Emmanuel Macron is in the countryside, he completely disappeared under the long presidential address (more than twenty-seven minutes) on Tuesday evening. Admittedly, the Head of State, during the first ten minutes of his intervention, spoke first of the coronavirus and announced several measures to try to advance the vaccination campaign for the third dose in those over 65 – and soon the over 50s. For the rest, “we had a president who, for two thirds of his speech, was confused with a candidate”, judge with 20 minutes Virginie Martin, political scientist and professor at Kedge Business School.
“Mixture of genres”
Emmanuel Macron has, so to speak, delivered a keynote speech. In any case, the layout of the axes which one can easily imagine that they will be plowed during the electoral campaign. At La République en Marche, however, we deny having the lead in the elections. “It is the role of a head of state to give a long-term perspective,” said Maud Bregeon, spokesperson for the presidential party, questioned by 20 minutes. Five months before the elections, there is room for doubt, however, while some of the objectives announced by Emmanuel Macron can only be implemented in a second term. “We have always said that the president and the government would work to the end. Anyway, we are always close to an election, ”sweeps Maud Bregeon. Not always a presidential election, however.
Emmanuel Macron is certainly not the first to take advantage of his position as outgoing president to gain media advantage. However, “it is quite astonishing to thus use the presidential function to announce a program, concealing at the same time the health question. », Notes Virginie Martin. In the opposition, we denounce a “mixture of genres”, as Mathieu Orphelin, deputy close to Yannick Jadot, puts it. A formula also used by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who asks that the speaking time of the president be counted as the time of a candidate.
Clearly, Emmanuel #Macron is a candidate. And his speaking time is not counted as such. He mixes genres in an abnormal way. He acts as presidential candidate.#LCI # Macron20h
– Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) November 9, 2021
“Balanced speech” or oriented to the right?
New nuclear reactors, reform of unemployment insurance – which makes access to benefits more difficult – defense of work – which should be taxed less in the “next years”… Follow his gaze: he is far behind – towards a second term – and lean to the right. These themes seem to be nods to the electorate close to the Republicans but who do not recognize themselves in the drift of certain candidates for the presidential nomination, sometimes tempted to run behind Eric Zemmour. Emmanuel Macron has also marked his difference, by calling to “resist nationalism”.
Virginie Martin is not very surprised: “Emmanuel Macron relies on a rather wealthy, rather elderly electorate, who is mobilizing for the elections, and therefore more on the right. He also overplayed firmness, especially on the issue of unemployment, which is an item that pleases the right-wing electorate. “For Maud Bregeon, on the contrary, the President of the Republic delivered a” balanced speech “on Tuesday evening.
The spokesperson for LREM believes, for example, that the nuclear revival can be read as an environmental measure by part of the left. A left that could also be seduced by the “fact that work pays better” for five years. “If I had to summarize, I would say that Emmanuel Macron was the president of the work”, even dares the walker. Hey, it almost sounds like a campaign slogan.