The exclamation mark has remained. If you want to vote for Emmanuel Macron in the presidential election next year, you don’t have to get used to it too much. The movement that Macron brought into office in 2017 was called “En Marche!”, The follow-up project is now called “Ensemble Citoyens!”. The call to march off, which was intentionally composed of the initials of Emmanuel Macron, has now resulted in “Citizens together!” developed.
The key here is the word “together”, because while Macron was still able to use the charm of the outsider and newcomer to politics five years ago, he now has a term to defend and personally symbolizes the center of power. “Ensemble Citoyens!” in contrast to “En Marche!” Back then, not as a political start-up, but rather stands for the amalgamation of various parties. On Monday evening, “Ensemble Citoyens!” its foundation at a first public meeting in Paris. And presents its members: First there is La République en Marche (LREM), the party that emerged from En Marche and which, together with the center party MoDem, has provided the majority in parliament for the past four and a half years. MoDem and the prominent party leader François Bayrou are now also part of “Ensemble Citoyens!”.
The most important new addition to the group is the Horizons party, which was launched on October 9 by ex-Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. Philippe was Prime Minister of France until early July 2020, and during his tenure he became one of France’s most popular politicians. In order to give the country a feeling of fresh start after the first corona lockdown, President Macron replaced his prime minister in the summer of 2020. Philippe went back to Le Havre and took over the office of mayor again. By founding Horizons in October, Philippe put an end to some of the many speculations about his political future. Yes, he wants to play a central role at the head of the state. But no, he has no ambitions of his own for 2022. According to Philippe, he called his party Horizons because the country needed “long-term prospects”. Translated into party politics, this means: Philippe should already be thinking about the 2027 presidential election.
The new alliance is intended to reach more conservative voters
Philippes Horizons and the “Ensemble Citoyens!” to come only in the parliamentary elections. So in June 2022. Should Macron be re-elected as president in April 2022, the parliamentary elections will decide whether or not he will continue to have a majority in the National Assembly, as is now the case. In June 2017, La République en Marche managed to win 32 percent of the vote. The newly founded party benefited both from the weakness of the traditional people’s parties and from the fact that it embodied renewal and awakening. That impression has since worn off. In both the local and regional elections, LREM failed to anchor itself locally beyond Paris.
For 2022, Macron is therefore dependent on renewing its strategy. The aim is to broaden the alliance. The merger with Philippe is intended to reach more conservative voters. At the same time, the partner MoDem and the remaining left wing of LREM should ensure that the party remains anchored in the center.
How exactly the formation “Ensemble Citoyens!” will work has yet to be seen. The individual parties will not merge into the new merger, they will continue to exist. But agreements are intended to prevent public conflicts or competitive situations between individual candidates. It is important to the individual party leaders that “Ensemble Citoyens!” more than a common banner.
One thing is certain: the “Ensemble Citoyens!” Partners have agreed on their presidential candidate: His name is Emmanuel Macron. He has not yet officially declared his candidacy, but can now count on his membership in “Ensemble Citoyens!” refer organized supporters.
The establishment of the newly christened Macron camp marks the beginning of a highly political week in France. On Wednesday, the conservative Républicains begin with a multi-day member vote. The Républicains then want to present their candidate for the presidential election on Saturday. The right-wing extremist Éric Zemmour is also expected to announce his candidacy this week.
For “Ensemble Citoyens!” So it is also about sending a signal of unity and emphasizing that the competitors on the right and left are preoccupied with self-search. In the left-wing camp, the Green Yannick Jadot, the socialist Anne Hidalgo and the left-wing populist Jean-Luc Mélenchon are among the central candidates who dispute votes. Right (and far, far right) the Républicains, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour are fighting for a place in the runoff election. All of the surveys carried out over the past few months confirm that Macron has a good chance of being re-elected.